Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Introduction to the verb désigner
The English translation of the French verb désigner is “to designate” or “to indicate.” It is pronounced as “day-zin-yay.”
The word désigner comes from the Old French word “designer,” which means “to designate or signify.” It is derived from the Latin word “designare,” which means “to mark out or point out.”
In everyday French, désigner is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or situation in the past. It is often used after verbs such as “vouloir” (to want), “pouvoir” (to be able to), or “espérer” (to hope).
- J’espérais que tu désignerais le chemin à suivre. (I was hoping that you would show the way.)
- Il voulait que je désigne le coupable. (He wanted me to point out the culprit.)
- Nous pensions que le jury désignerait un gagnant. (We thought the jury would designate a winner.)
The three examples above show how désigner is used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense to express a desired or expected action in the past. In English, this tense is often translated as “would + infinitive” or “were + infinitive.”
Table of the Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of désigner
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | désignasse | Si je gagnais à la loterie, je désignasse un héritier. | If I won the lottery, I would designate an heir. |
tu | désignasses | Si tu étais président, tu désignasses un premier ministre. | If you were president, you would designate a prime minister. |
il | désignât | Il serait content si il désignât un successeur. | He would be happy if he designated a successor. |
elle | désignât | Elle serait surpris si elle désignât la bonne personne. | She would be surprised if she designated the right person. |
on | désignât | Si on désignât quelqu’un d’autre, ça changerait tout. | If one designated someone else, it would change everything. |
nous | désignassions | Si nous désignassions un nouveau logo, ça pourrait relancer la marque. | If we designated a new logo, it could revitalize the brand. |
vous | désignassiez | Si vous désignassiez une date, nous pourrions nous organiser. | If you designated a date, we could organize ourselves. |
ils | désignassent | S’ils désignassent des bénévoles, ça pourrait être bénéfique. | If they designated volunteers, it could be beneficial. |
elles | désignassent | Si elles désignassent un représentant, il serait mieux informé. | If they designated a representative, he would be better informed. |
Other Conjugations for Désigner.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner (this article)
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désigner
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Désigner – About the French Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense
Formation
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Interactions with Other Tenses
Subjonctif Présent
Indicatif Passé Composé
Conditional
Conditional Perfect
Summary
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