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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débarbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb débarbouiller is “to wash off” or “to clean up.” It is pronounced as “day-bahr-boo-yay.”

Débarbouiller is derived from the French word “barbouille,” which means “mess” or “stain.” The prefix “dé-” adds a sense of undoing or removing, making débarbouiller mean “to remove a mess or stain.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past hypothetical or uncertain action.

Example 1: J’aurais débarbouillé les taches sur la chemise si j’avais eu du détachant.
Translation: I would have washed off the stains on the shirt if I had had some stain remover.

Example 2: Il est possible que j’aie débarbouillé la table après le dîner.
Translation: It’s possible that I cleaned up the table after dinner.

Example 3: Nous aurions débarbouillé la cuisine si nous avions eu plus de temps.
Translation: We would have cleaned up the kitchen if we had more time.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie débarbouillé J’espère que je l’aie débarbouillé. I hope I wiped it off.
tu aies débarbouillé Il faut que tu aies débarbouillé ça. You must have wiped it off.
il ait débarbouillé Il est possible qu’il ait débarbouillé. It’s possible he wiped it off.
elle ait débarbouillé Elle doute qu’elle ait débarbouillé. She doubts she wiped it off.
on ait débarbouillé On aimerait qu’on ait débarbouillé ça. We would like to have wiped it off.
nous ayons débarbouillé C’est nécessaire que nous ayons débarbouillé. It’s necessary that we wipe it off.
vous ayez débarbouillé Il est important que vous ayez débarbouillé. It’s important that you wiped it off.
ils aient débarbouillé Ils espèrent qu’ils aient débarbouillé. They hope they wiped it off.
elles aient débarbouillé Elles sont sûres qu’elles aient débarbouillé. They are sure they wiped it off.

Other Conjugations for Débarbouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débarbouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débarbouiller – 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.

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