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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décaver

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The English translation of the French verb décaver is “to lose all one’s money” or “to go broke.” It is pronounced as “day-kah-vay” in its infinitive form.

The word décaver originates from the French word “cave,” which means cellar or basement. In the context of money and finances, it refers to the idea of going down or sinking, similar to how one’s money might disappear or sink into a “cellar.”

Décaver is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past. This tense is typically used after certain conjunctions, such as “que” or “pour que,” and is often accompanied by the auxiliary verb “avoir.”

Example 1: Il est possible que j’aie décavé en jouant au casino.
Translation: It is possible that I lost all my money while gambling at the casino.

Example 2: J’ai fait attention pour que nous n’ayons pas décavé en voyageant.
Translation: I was careful to ensure that we didn’t go broke while traveling.

Example 3: Elle était triste que son entreprise ait décavé après seulement un an d’activité.
Translation: She was sad that her business went bankrupt after only one year of operation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie décavé Je ne crois pas que j’aie décavé. I don’t believe I ruined.
tu aies décavé Il vaut mieux que tu aies décavé. It’s better that you ruined.
il ait décavé Il est possible qu’il ait décavé. It’s possible he ruined.
elle ait décavé Elle préfère qu’elle ait décavé. She prefers she ruined.
on ait décavé On veut qu’on ait décavé. We want it to have been ruined.
nous ayons décavé Il est important que nous ayons décavé. It’s important that we ruined.
vous ayez décavé Il faut que vous ayez décavé. You must have ruined.
ils aient décavé Ils espèrent qu’ils aient décavé. They hope they ruined.
elles aient décavé Elles n’aiment pas qu’elles aient décavé. They don’t like they ruined.

Other Conjugations for Décaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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