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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débrailler

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The English translation of the French verb débrailler is “to dishevel” or “to unknot”. It is pronounced as “day-bray-yay”.

Débrailler comes from the Old French word “brailler”, which means “to bellow” or “to shout”. Over time, the prefix “dé-” was added to create the verb débrailler, which has a more specific meaning of “to untie” or “to unknot”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past possibility or doubt.

Examples:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie débraillé mes cheveux hier soir. (It’s possible that I disheveled my hair last night.)
  2. Je doute qu’il ait débraillé sa cravate avant l’entretien. (I doubt that he unknot his tie before the interview.)
  3. Il est dommage que nous ayons débraillé nos plans pour le weekend. (It’s a shame that we unraveled our plans for the weekend.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie débraillé Il vaut mieux que j’aie débraillé. It’s better that I undid.
tu aies débraillé Tu préfères que tu aies débraillé. You prefer you undid.
il ait débraillé Il est important qu’il ait débraillé. It’s important that he undid.
elle ait débraillé Elle doute qu’elle ait débraillé. She doubts she undid.
on ait débraillé On veut qu’on ait débraillé. We want it to have been undone.
nous ayons débraillé Nous sommes contents que nous ayons débraillé. We’re glad we undid.
vous ayez débraillé Vous craignez que vous ayez débraillé. You fear you undid.
ils aient débraillé Ils sont satisfaits qu’ils aient débraillé. They’re satisfied they undid.
elles aient débraillé Elles espèrent qu’elles aient débraillé. They hope they undid.

Other Conjugations for Débrailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débrailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débrailler – 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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