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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénerver

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The English translation of the French verb dénerver is “to unwind” or “to relax”. The infinitive form is pronounced “day-nair-vair”.

Dénerver comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, meaning “undo” or “remove”, and the word “nerf”, meaning “nerve”. It can also be related to the word “nerveux”, which means “nervous” or “anxious”. In everyday French, dénerver is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three examples of dénerver used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que je me dénervasse avant de passer mon entretien d’embauche. (I needed to unwind before my job interview.)
  2. Nous préférions que tu te dénervasses avant de conduire la voiture. (We would prefer if you relaxed before driving the car.)
  3. Il était important que vous vous dénervassiez pour ne pas prendre de décisions hâtives. (It was important for you to unwind in order to not make hasty decisions.)

English translations:

  1. I had to unwind before my job interview.
  2. We would prefer if you relaxed before driving the car.
  3. It was important for you to unwind in order to not make hasty decisions.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je dénervasse Si j’avais plus de patience, je dénervasse moins. If I had more patience, I would get less annoyed.
tu dénervasses Si tu prenais un moment pour te calmer, tu dénervasses plus facilement. If you took a moment to calm down, you would get less easily annoyed.
il dénervât Il serait moins stressé si il dénervât plus souvent. He would be less stressed if he got less annoyed more often.
elle dénervât Elle serait plus détendue si elle dénervât son esprit. She would be more relaxed if she got her mind less annoyed.
on dénervât Si on dénervât davantage, on vivrait plus sereinement. If one got less annoyed, one would live more peacefully.
nous dénervassions Si nous dénervassions chaque jour, nous serions plus zen. If we got less annoyed every day, we would be more zen.
vous dénervassiez Si vous dénervassiez moins vite, vous seriez plus calme. If you got annoyed less quickly, you would be calmer.
ils dénervassent S’ils dénervassent plus souvent, ils seraient plus détendus. If they got less annoyed more often, they would be more relaxed.
elles dénervassent Si elles dénervassent autant, elles seraient toutes énervées. If they got as annoyed, they would all be annoyed.

Other Conjugations for Dénerver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénerver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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