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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délester

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The English translation of the French verb délester is “to lighten” or “to unload”. It is pronounced as “day-leh-stay” in its infinitive form.

Délester comes from the Old French word “delester”, which comes from the Latin word “leviarius” meaning “to make light”. In everyday French, délester is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action.

Here are three simple examples of délester in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Il fallait que je délestasse mes épaules avant de continuer la randonnée. (I had to lighten my shoulders before continuing the hike.)

  2. Nous préférions que vous délestassiez le bateau avant de partir en mer. (We would prefer if you unloaded the boat before heading out to sea.)

  3. Les médecins recommandaient que la patiente se délestât de tout stress pour améliorer sa santé. (The doctors recommended that the patient lightened her stress to improve her health.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je délestasse Si je gagnais à la loterie, je délestasse ma famille. If I won the lottery, I would relieve my family.
tu délestasses Si tu courrais plus vite, tu délestasses tes bagages. If you ran faster, you would unload your luggage.
il délestât Si il prenait moins de poids, il délestât le bateau. If he took less weight, he would lighten the boat.
elle délestât Si elle ralentissait, elle délestât ses valises. If she slowed down, she would unload her suitcases.
on délestât Si on économisait plus, on se délestât de dettes. If one saved more, one would get rid of debts.
nous délestassions Si nous délestassions régulièrement, nous diminuerions le stress. If we regularly unloaded, we would reduce stress.
vous délestassiez Si vous délestassiez le coffre, vous pourriez mettre plus de bagages. If you unloaded the trunk, you could fit more luggage.
ils délestassent S’ils ne délestassent pas le camion, il serait trop lourd. If they didn’t unload the truck, it would be too heavy.
elles délestassent Si elles dépensaient moins, elles délestassent leur budget. If they spent less, they would relieve their budget.

Other Conjugations for Délester.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délester
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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