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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapiter

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The English translation of décapiter is “to decapitate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-ka-pee-tay.”

Décapiter is a French verb that comes from the Latin word “decapitare,” meaning “to cut off the head.” It is derived from the prefix “de,” meaning “off,” and the noun “caput,” meaning “head.”

In everyday French, décapiter is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

Examples of décapiter in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il est possible que le roi ait été décapité pendant la révolution. (It is possible that the king was decapitated during the revolution.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que le dictateur ait été décapité pour ses crimes contre l’humanité. (I would have liked the dictator to have been decapitated for his crimes against humanity.)
  3. Elle craignait que son mari n’ait été décapité lors de la guerre. (She feared that her husband had been decapitated during the war.)

English translations:

  1. It is possible that the king was decapitated during the revolution.
  2. I would have liked the dictator to have been decapitated for his crimes against humanity.
  3. She feared that her husband had been decapitated during the war.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décapiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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