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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décentraliser

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The English translation of the French verb décentraliser is “to decentralize.” It is pronounced as “day-sohn-tral-ee-zay” in the infinitive form.

Décentraliser is derived from the Latin word “decēntrālis,” meaning “off-center” or “not central.” It entered the French language in the 19th century and is commonly used in a business or political context to describe the process of distributing power or decision-making to different parts or levels of an organization or government.

In the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, décentraliser is used to express a wish, uncertainty, or a hypothetical situation that is ongoing or repeated in the past. It is formed by adding the endings -sse, -sses, -t, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent to the stem of the verb, décentralis-.

Here are three examples of décentraliser in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense:

  1. Il fallait que nous décentralisions la gestion des projets. (We needed to decentralize project management.)
  2. Je souhaitais que tu décentralisasses les décisions. (I wanted you to decentralize decision-making.)
  3. Il voulait que les entreprises décentralisassent leurs activités. (He wanted companies to decentralize their activities.)

In these examples, décentraliser is used to express a desire or a hypothetical situation in the past. The English translations use the infinitive form of the verb “to decentralize” in the present tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décentralisasse Je serais pour que je décentralisasse le pouvoir. I would be in favor of decentralizing power.
tu décentralisasses Si tu avais plus de responsabilités, tu décentralisasses mieux. If you had more responsibilities, you would decentralize better.
il décentralisât Il serait plus équitable si il décentralisât les décisions. It would be fairer if he decentralized decisions.
elle décentralisât Elle serait plus efficace si elle décentralisât l’organisation. She would be more efficient if she decentralized the organization.
on décentralisât Si on décentralisât les services, on aurait plus de proximité. If one decentralized services, there would be more proximity.
nous décentralisassions Si nous décentralisassions les budgets, nous serions plus flexibles. If we decentralized budgets, we would be more flexible.
vous décentralisassiez Si vous décentralisassiez les décisions, vous auriez plus de contrôle. If you decentralized decisions, you would have more control.
ils décentralisassent S’ils décentralisassent leurs pouvoirs, il y aurait plus de diversité. If they decentralized their powers, there would be more diversity.
elles décentralisassent Si elles décentralisassent leurs services, elles seraient plus autonomes. If they decentralized their services, they would be more autonomous.

Other Conjugations for Décentraliser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décentraliser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décentraliser – 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.

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