Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décéder

Get the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) tense conjugation of décéder. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb décéder is “to die.” It is pronounced as “day-seh-day.”

Décéder comes from the Latin word “decēdere” which means “to depart.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain situation in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il fallait que je décédasse avant de voir ses enfants grandir. (I had to die before seeing his children grow up.)

  2. Nous souhaitions qu’il décédât en paix, entouré de sa famille. (We hoped he would die in peace, surrounded by his family.)

  3. Si elle décédait avant moi, je ne savais pas comment je ferais face à la vie sans elle. (If she were to die before me, I didn’t know how I would cope with life without her.)

Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of décéder

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décédasse Si j’avais été malade, je décédasse. If I had been sick, I would have passed away.
tu décédasses Si tu avais été à l’hôpital, tu décédasses. If you had been in the hospital, you would have passed away.
il décédât Si il décédât, ça serait triste. If he passed away, it would be sad.
elle décédât Si elle décédât, je serais dévasté. If she passed away, I would be devastated.
on décédât Si on décédât, il y aurait un enterrement. If one passed away, there would be a funeral.
nous décédassions Si nous décédassions, nos familles seraient tristes. If we passed away, our families would be sad.
vous décédassiez Si vous décédassiez, ça serait une perte pour le monde. If you passed away, it would be a loss for the world.
ils décédassent Si ils décédassent, il faudrait organiser un service funéraire. If they passed away, a funeral service would need to be organized.
elles décédassent Si elles décédassent, leurs proches seraient en deuil. If they passed away, their loved ones would be mourning.

Other Conjugations for Décéder.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder (this article)

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the décéder Subjonctif Imparfait tense conjugation!

Décéder – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Imparfait, also known as the imperfect subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions, states, or conditions that are uncertain, subjective, or hypothetical in the past. It is used in a variety of situations, including wishes, doubts, emotions, and polite requests, and often occurs in dependent clauses following certain expressions and conjunctions.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Imparfait, you typically start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the verb in the imparfait (imperfect) tense. Then, you remove the -ent ending and add the appropriate endings:

– For regular -er verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.
– For regular -ir and -re verbs: je -sse, tu -sses, il/elle/on -t, nous -ssions, vous -ssiez, ils/elles -ssent.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

1. Expressing Doubt or Uncertainty: The Subjonctif Imparfait is used to express doubt or uncertainty about something that happened in the past.

Example: Il doutait qu’elle vînt à la fête. (He doubted that she came to the party.)

2. Wishes and Desires: It is used to express wishes or desires in the past.

Example: J’aurais aimé que tu fusses là. (I would have liked you to be there.)

3. Hypothetical Scenarios: The Subjonctif Imparfait is employed in hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: Si j’eusse su, j’aurais agi différemment. (If I had known, I would have acted differently.)
4. Polite Requests and Suggestions: It is used to make polite requests and suggestions in a formal or polite tone.

Example: Il souhaitait que vous vinssiez lui rendre visite. (He wished that you would come to visit him.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Subjonctif Présent

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used in dependent clauses with the Subjonctif Présent in the main clause, especially in complex sentences.

Example: Il faut que tu manges bien pour que tu aies de l’énergie. (You need to eat well so that you have energy.)

Indicatif Passé Composé

The Subjonctif Imparfait can be used alongside the Indicatif Passé Composé to indicate a contrast between a factual event and a hypothetical one.

Example: Il est parti avant que tu ne fusses arrivé. (He left before you arrived.)

Conditional

The Subjonctif Imparfait is often used with the Conditional to express unreal or hypothetical situations in the past.

Example: J’aurais pu le faire si j’eusse eu plus de temps. (I could have done it if I had had more time.)

Conditional Perfect

It can also be used with the Conditional Perfect to express unreal or hypothetical past events that would have occurred before other past events.

Example: J’aurais su s’il eût partagé l’information. (I would have known if he had shared the information.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Imparfait is a relatively complex tense, and its usage depends on the context and the verbs involved. It is essential to practice and become familiar with common expressions and contexts where this tense is appropriate to use it effectively in everyday French communication.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb décéder. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts