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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décorder

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The English translation of the French verb décorder is “to untie” or “to untangle”. The infinitive form, décorder, is pronounced as “day-kor-deh”.

Décorder comes from the Latin word “disquadrare” which means “to unfasten” or “to loosen”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a wish, doubt, or possibility in the past.

Example 1: Je souhaitais que tu décordes les cordes avant de partir. (I wished that you untied the ropes before leaving.)
Example 2: Il doutait que le marin puisse décorder le bateau seul. (He doubted that the sailor could untie the boat alone.)
Example 3: Nous pensions qu’il fallait décorder les fils pour faciliter le déménagement. (We thought that we needed to untangle the wires to facilitate the move.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je désordasse Si je travaillais plus, je désordasse moins. If I worked more, I would mess up less.
tu désordasses Si tu étais plus organisé, tu désordasses moins. If you were more organized, you would mess up less.
il désordât Il serait plus calme s’il désordât moins. He would be calmer if he messed up less.
elle désordât Elle ferait plus de progrès si elle désordât moins. She would make more progress if she messed up less.
on désordât Si on désordât moins souvent, on serait plus efficace. If one messed up less often, one would be more efficient.
nous désordassions Si nous désordassions moins, nous aurions plus de temps libre. If we messed up less, we would have more free time.
vous désordassiez Si vous désordassiez moins, vous auriez plus de patience. If you messed up less, you would have more patience.
ils désordassent S’ils désordassent moins, ils seraient plus organisés. If they messed up less, they would be more organized.
elles désordassent Si elles désordassent moins, leur mère serait moins en colère. If they messed up less, their mother would be less angry.

Other Conjugations for Décorder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décorder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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