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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dessaler

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The English translation of the French verb dessaler is “to desalt” or “to remove salt.” It is pronounced “deh-sah-lay.”

The word dessaler comes from the French prefix “des-” meaning “to remove” and the Latin root word “sal” meaning “salt.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the process of removing salt from food, particularly in cooking.

In the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, dessaler is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. It is formed by taking the present tense stem “dessal-” and adding the appropriate endings: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent.

Three examples of dessaler in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Je souhaitais que tu dessalasses la viande avant de la faire cuire. (I wished that you would desalt the meat before cooking it.)

  2. Il fallait que nous dessalions les olives avant de les mettre dans la salade. (We had to desalt the olives before putting them in the salad.)

  3. Elle voulait que je dessalasse les légumes avant de les faire mariner. (She wanted me to desalt the vegetables before marinating them.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Imparfait tense is used to express a desire, obligation, or request in the past. The English translations also use the past tense to reflect the hypothetical nature of the action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je dessalasse Je souhaiterais que je dessalasse mon plat. I wish I could remove the salt from my dish.
tu dessalasses Si tu réduisais le sel, tu dessalasses mieux. If you reduced the salt, you would remove it better.
il dessalât Il serait plus sage s’il dessalât son alcool. He would be wiser if he desalinated his alcohol.
elle dessalât Elle serait moins écoeurée si elle dessalât son repas. She would be less disgusted if she removed the salt from her meal.
on dessalât Si on dessalât un peu, le plat serait plus équilibré. If one removed a little salt, the dish would be more balanced.
nous dessalassions Si nous dessalassions cette eau, elle serait potable. If we desalinated this water, it would be drinkable.
vous dessalassiez Si vous dessalassiez mieux, vous auriez un plat moins salé. If you removed the salt better, you would have a less salty dish.
ils dessalassent S’ils dessalassent davantage, le poisson serait plus frais. If they removed more salt, the fish would be fresher.
elles dessalassent Si elles dessalassent plus, le repas serait plus sain. If they removed more salt, the meal would be healthier.

Other Conjugations for Dessaler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dessaler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dessaler – 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.

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