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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désactiver

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The English translation of the French verb désactiver is “to deactivate.” In French, it is pronounced “day-zak-tee-vay.”

The word désactiver comes from the French prefix dés- (meaning “un-” or “de-“) and the verb activer (meaning “to activate”). It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three simple examples of désactiver in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Si j’avais suivi tes conseils, je n’aurais pas désactivé mon compte Facebook. (If I had followed your advice, I wouldn’t have deactivated my Facebook account.)
  2. Nous pensions qu’il fallait désactiver le système d’alarme avant de partir, au cas où il y aurait des cambrioleurs. (We thought we should deactivate the alarm system before leaving, in case there were burglars.)
  3. Il aurait été dangereux de désactiver les freins du véhicule sans en avoir vérifié le fonctionnement au préalable. (It would have been dangerous to deactivate the brakes of the vehicle without checking their functioning beforehand.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je désactivasse Je ne serais pas nerveux si je désactivasse l’alarme. I wouldn’t be nervous if I deactivated the alarm.
tu désactivasses Je te conseille de désactivasses le compte avant de partir. I advise you to deactivate the account before leaving.
il désactivât Il serait mieux si il désactivât le mode silencieux. It would be better if he deactivated silent mode.
elle désactivât Elle serait plus calme si elle désactivât les notifications. She would be calmer if she deactivated the notifications.
on désactivât Si on désactivât les cookies, on serait moins suivi en ligne. If one deactivated cookies, one would be less tracked online.
nous désactivassions Nous serions plus organisés si nous désactivassions certains services. We would be more organized if we deactivated certain services.
vous désactivassiez Si vous désactivassiez le mode avion, vous pourriez recevoir des appels. If you deactivated airplane mode, you could receive calls.
ils désactivassent S’ils désactivassent les publicités, ils auraient moins de distractions. If they deactivated ads, they would have less distractions.
elles désactivassent Si elles désactivassent les mises à jour automatiques, elles pourraient économiser de données. If they deactivated automatic updates, they could save data.

Other Conjugations for Désactiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désactiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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