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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontenancer

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The English translation of the French verb décontenancer is “to disconcert” or “to unsettle”. The infinitive form is pronounced “day-kon-tuhn-ahn-say”.

Décontenancer comes from the French prefix “dé-“, meaning “undo” or “remove”, and the verb “contenancer”, which means “to make feel confident or at ease”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which is a literary tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que je décontenançasse l’invité avec mes questions difficiles. (I had to disconcert the guest with my difficult questions.)
  2. J’aurais préféré que tu ne te laisses pas décontenancer par ses remarques désobligeantes. (I would have preferred that you not let yourself be unsettled by his unpleasant remarks.)
  3. Si nous n’avions pas été décontenancés par la pluie, nous aurions pu terminer la course. (If we hadn’t been disconcerted by the rain, we could have finished the race.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je décontençasse Si j’étais plus confiant, je décontençasse moins facilement. If I were more confident, I would not be disconcerted as easily.
tu décontençasses Si tu étudiais plus, tu décontençasses moins. If you studied more, you would be less disconcerted.
il décontençât Il serait plus à l’aise s’il décontençât moins. He would be more comfortable if he were less disconcerted.
elle décontençât Elle parlerait plus fort si elle décontençât moins. She would speak louder if she were less disconcerted.
on décontençât Si on décontençât moins, on aurait plus de courage. If one were less disconcerted, one would have more courage.
nous décontençassions Si nous décontençassions plus souvent, nous serions plus à l’aise. If we were disconcerted less often, we would be more comfortable.
vous décontençassiez Si vous décontençassiez moins, vous seriez plus calmes. If you were less disconcerted, you would be calmer.
ils décontençassent S’ils décontençassent moins, ils seraient plus confiants. If they were less disconcerted, they would be more confident.
elles décontençassent Si elles se relaxaient plus, elles décontençassent moins. If they relaxed more, they would be less disconcerted.

Other Conjugations for Décontenancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontenancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décontenancer – 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 décontenancer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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