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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaler

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The English translation of the French verb décaler is “to shift” or “to move.” The infinitive form, décaler, is pronounced as “dey-kah-lay.”

Décaler comes from the Latin word “calare,” meaning “to call,” and the prefix “de-,” which indicates a reversal or movement away from something. In everyday French, décaler is most often used to indicate a movement or change of position, either literally or figuratively. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it is used to express an action or event that occurred in the past and is considered hypothetical or uncertain.

Here are three simple examples of décaler being used in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Je doute que tu aies décalé la réunion. (I doubt that you shifted the meeting.)
  2. Il est possible que nous ayons décalé nos vacances à cause du mauvais temps. (It is possible that we shifted our vacation plans because of the bad weather.)
  3. J’aimerais que vous ayez décalé votre rendez-vous pour que nous puissions nous voir. (I would like for you to have shifted your appointment so that we can see each other.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie décalé Je doute que j’aie décalé. I doubt that I shifted.
tu aies décalé Il est possible que tu aies décalé. It’s possible you shifted.
il ait décalé Il est important qu’il ait décalé. It’s important he shifted.
elle ait décalé Elle craint qu’elle ait décalé. She fears she shifted.
on ait décalé On veut qu’on ait décalé. We want it to have been shifted.
nous ayons décalé Nous préférons que nous ayons décalé. We prefer we shifted.
vous ayez décalé Il est préférable que vous ayez décalé. It’s preferable you shifted.
ils aient décalé Ils doutent qu’ils aient décalé. They doubt they shifted.
elles aient décalé Elles espèrent qu’elles aient décalé. They hope they shifted.

Other Conjugations for Décaler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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