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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb documenter

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The English translation of the French verb documenter is “to document.” It is pronounced “doc-u-men-tay” in its infinitive form.

The word “documenter” comes from the Latin word “documentum,” meaning “lesson” or “instruction.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or state.

Three simple examples of using “documenter” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que je documente mes recherches avant de les présenter à la réunion. (I had to document my research before presenting it at the meeting.)
  2. Nous préférions que tu documentes chaque étape de ton projet pour mieux le comprendre. (We preferred that you document each step of your project to better understand it.)
  3. Il était important que vous documentiez vos sources pour éviter tout plagiat. (It was important that you document your sources to avoid any plagiarism.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Imparfait tense is used to express a past hypothetical situation or requirement. The verb “documenter” is conjugated to match the subject of the sentence and is followed by the subordinate conjunction “que” to introduce the subordinate clause. In English, the same tense would be translated using the past tense (e.g. “I had to document,” “We preferred that you document,” “It was important that you document”).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je documentasse Si j’étais écrivain, je documentasse mes voyages. If I were a writer, I would document my travels.
tu documentasses Si tu documentasses plus souvent, tu apprendrais mieux. If you documented more often, you would learn better.
il documentât Il serait utile si il documentât ses recherches. It would be helpful if he documented his research.
elle documentât Elle serait impressionnée si elle documentât ses découvertes. She would be impressed if she documented her discoveries.
on documentât Si on documentât en détail, on comprendrait mieux. If one documented in detail, one would understand better.
nous documentassions Si nous documentassions ensemble, nous pourrions partager nos connaissances. If we documented together, we could share our knowledge.
vous documentassiez Si vous documentassiez votre travail, vous pourriez le présenter facilement. If you documented your work, you could present it easily.
ils documentassent S’ils documentassent leurs expériences, ils pourraient en tirer des leçons. If they documented their experiences, they could learn from them.
elles documentassent Si elles documentassent leurs observations, elles pourraient les analyser plus tard. If they documented their observations, they could analyze them later.

Other Conjugations for Documenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb documenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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