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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débâcler

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The English translation of the French verb débâcler is “to collapse” or “to fail.” It is pronounced as [de-ba-kle] in its infinitive form.

Débâcler comes from the French word “bâcler” which means “to finish quickly” or “to botch.” The prefix “dé-” adds a sense of negativity or reversal to the verb. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already occurred or may occur in the future.

Examples:

  1. J’espère que le projet ne se soit pas débâclé. (I hope the project did not collapse.)
  2. Il est possible qu’ils aient débâclé leurs plans. (It is possible that they failed their plans.)
  3. Je doute que le mariage se soit débâclé si rapidement. (I doubt the marriage collapsed so quickly.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used because there is a level of uncertainty or doubt in the actions described. It is often used in situations where the outcome is not certain or has already happened but the speaker is not entirely sure about it.

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of débâcler

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie débâclé Je suis contente que j’aie débâclé. I am glad that I failed.
tu aies débâclé Il est possible que tu aies débâclé. It’s possible that you failed.
il ait débâclé Il fait tout pour qu’il ait débâclé. He does everything for him to have failed.
elle ait débâclé Elle préfère qu’elle ait débâclé. She prefers she failed.
on ait débâclé On espère qu’on ait débâclé. We hope we failed.
nous ayons débâclé Nous ne souhaitons pas que nous ayons débâclé. We do not wish for us to have failed.
vous ayez débâclé Il est important que vous ayez débâclé. It’s important that you failed.
ils aient débâclé Ils sont convaincus qu’ils aient débâclé. They are convinced they failed.
elles aient débâclé Elles regrettent qu’elles aient débâclé. They regret they failed.

Other Conjugations for Débâcler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâcler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débâcler     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débâcler – About the French Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense

The French Subjonctif Passé is a verb tense used to express actions or states that are uncertain, hypothetical, or dependent on some condition in the past. It’s often used in conjunction with the main verb in the present or future tense to convey various nuances of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Subjonctif Passé

To form the Subjonctif Passé, you generally need to start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the passé composé (a compound past tense). Then, drop the subject and replace it with the appropriate Subjonctif endings. The endings are the same for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs:

   – For -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
   – For -ir verbs: -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
   – For -re verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

For example, if you have the verb “parler” (to speak) in the third person plural passé composé, which is “ils ont parlé” (they spoke), the Subjonctif Passé form would be “qu’ils aient parlé” (that they spoke).

Everyday Usage Patterns

The Subjonctif Passé is commonly used in various situations:

– Expressing doubt or uncertainty: It’s used when you’re not certain about the completion of an action in the past. For example, “Je doute qu’il ait mangé” (I doubt that he ate).

– Desires and preferences: When you want or wish for something to have happened in the past. For instance, “Je préfère que tu aies réussi” (I prefer that you have succeeded).

– Expressing emotions: To convey emotions or feelings related to past actions or events. For example, “Il est content que nous ayons gagné” (He is happy that we won).

– Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical or unreal past situations. For example, “Si j’avais su, j’aurais souhaité qu’ils aient été là” (If I had known, I would have wished they had been there).

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Subjonctif Passé often interacts with other tenses to convey specific meanings:

Present tense

It’s commonly used after expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion in the present. For example, “Il faut que tu aies fini” (You must have finished).

Future tense

It’s used in the future for hypothetical or unreal actions in the past when the main clause is in the future. For example, “Je douterai qu’ils aient terminé demain” (I will doubt that they have finished tomorrow).

Conditional

When the main clause is in the conditional, the Subjonctif Passé can be used to express unreal or hypothetical actions in the past. For instance, “Il voudrait que nous ayons réussi” (He would like us to have succeeded).

Summary

The Subjonctif Passé is a versatile tense used in French to convey uncertainty, doubt, desire, or hypothetical situations related to past actions. It is used in various everyday contexts and interacts with other tenses to express specific nuances in the language.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb débâcler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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