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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discriminer

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The English translation of the French verb discriminer is “to discriminate.” It is pronounced “dee-skree-mee-nay.”

The word “discriminer” comes from the Latin word “discriminare,” which means “to distinguish.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and originally meant “to make distinctions” or “to differentiate.” Today, it is most commonly used to refer to the act of treating someone unfairly or differently based on their race, gender, religion, or other characteristics.

In the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, discriminer is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or state in the past. It is often used in conjunction with the word “si” (if) to express a condition.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Si je discriminais quelqu’un, je me sentirais coupable. (If I were to discriminate against someone, I would feel guilty.)
  2. Il était important que nous ne discriminassions pas nos collègues en raison de leur orientation sexuelle. (It was important that we did not discriminate against our colleagues based on their sexual orientation.)
  3. Je souhaitais que mes enfants ne soient pas discriminés à l’école à cause de leur couleur de peau. (I wished for my children not to be discriminated against at school because of their skin color.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je discriminasse Si j’étais témoin, je discriminasse les coupables. If I were a witness, I would discriminate against the guilty.
tu discriminasses Si tu avais des preuves, tu discriminasses les suspects. If you had evidence, you would discriminate against the suspects.
il discriminât Il serait juste que’il discriminât les personnes en fonction de leur compétence. It would be fair for him to discriminate against people based on their competence.
elle discriminât Elle pourrait se sentir coupable si elle discriminât les minorités. She might feel guilty if she discriminated against minorities.
on discriminât Si on discriminât moins, on vivrait en harmonie. If one discriminated less, one would live in harmony.
nous discriminassions Si nous discriminassions avec discernement, nous serions justes. If we discriminated with discernment, we would be fair.
vous discriminassiez Si vous discriminassiez moins, vous seriez plus tolérants. If you discriminated less, you would be more tolerant.
ils discriminassent S’ils ne discriminassent pas, il n’y aurait pas de racisme. If they did not discriminate, there would be no racism.
elles discriminassent Si elles discriminassent les minorités, ça serait injuste. If they discriminated against minorities, it would be unfair.

Other Conjugations for Discriminer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discriminer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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