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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénitrer

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The English translation of dénitrer is “to denitrate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-nee-tray.”

The word dénitrer is derived from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “remove” and the word “nitrer” meaning “to nitrate.” It is most often used in the context of agriculture, referring to the process of removing nitrates from soil in order to improve its quality.

In everyday French, dénitrer is used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a possibility or a doubt about a past action. Some common trigger phrases for this tense include “il est possible que” (it is possible that), “je doute que” (I doubt that), and “je ne crois pas que” (I don’t believe that).

Here are three examples of dénitrer being used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense:

  1. Il est possible que les agriculteurs aient dénitré les terres pour améliorer la qualité du sol. (It is possible that the farmers denitrated the land to improve the soil quality.)

  2. Je doutais que la méthode de dénitrer soit efficace, mais j’ai été agréablement surpris par les résultats. (I doubted that the denitrating method would be effective, but I was pleasantly surprised by the results.)

  3. Nous ne croyions pas que dénitrer les cultures aurait un impact significatif sur l’environnement. (We didn’t believe that denitrating the crops would have a significant impact on the environment.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je dénitrasse Si j’étais jardinier, je dénitrasse mes plantes. If I were a gardener, I would denitrify my plants.
tu dénitrasses Si tu utilisais un dénitrificateur, tu dénitrasses mieux l’eau. If you used a denitrifier, you would denitrify the water better.
il dénitrât Il serait heureux si il dénitrât moins de l’eau. He would be happy if he denitrified less water.
elle dénitrât Elle serait fière si elle dénitrât les émissions de son entreprise. She would be proud if she denitrified her company’s emissions.
on dénitrât Si on dénitrât tous les sols, on éviterait la pollution. If one denitrified all soils, pollution would be avoided.
nous dénitrassions Si nous dénitrassions ensemble, on serait plus efficaces. If we denitrified together, we would be more efficient.
vous dénitrassiez Si vous dénitrassiez l’eau, vous protégeriez la vie aquatique. If you denitrified the water, you would protect aquatic life.
ils dénitrassent S’ils dénitrassent plus, ils réduiraient la pollution de l’air. If they denitrified more, they would reduce air pollution.
elles dénitrassent Si elles dénitrassaient toutes les eaux usées, on aurait un meilleur environnement. If they denitrified all wastewater, we would have a better environment.

Other Conjugations for Dénitrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénitrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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