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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décentraliser

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The English translation of the French verb décentraliser is “to decentralize.” It is pronounced as “day-sahn-trah-lee-zay.”

Décentraliser comes from the French prefix “de-” meaning “from” or “away from,” and the word “centraliser” meaning “to centralize.” It was first used in the early 20th century to refer to the process of transferring power or responsibility from a central authority to local or regional authorities.

In everyday French, décentraliser is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses actions that may or may not have happened in the past and are usually accompanied by a hypothetical or uncertain clause.

Three simple examples of décentraliser in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Je suis heureux que le gouvernement ait décentralisé les décisions politiques. (I am glad that the government has decentralized political decisions.)
  2. Il est possible que les entreprises aient décentralisé leurs activités pour réduire les coûts. (It is possible that companies have decentralized their activities to reduce costs.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que l’administration ait décentralisé la gestion des ressources humaines. (We would have preferred if the administration had decentralized the management of human resources.)

English translations:

  1. I am glad that the government has decentralized political decisions.
  2. It is possible that companies have decentralized their activities to reduce costs.
  3. We would have preferred if the administration had decentralized the management of human resources.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décentraliser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décentraliser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décentraliser – 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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