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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégrader

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The English translation of the French verb dégrader is “to degrade” or “to deteriorate.” It is pronounced as “day-grah-day.”

Dégrader comes from the Latin word “degradare” which means “to reduce in rank.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action or situation that is uncertain or hypothetical.

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

  1. Il fallait que je dégrade la situation avant que ça ne devienne incontrôlable. (I had to degrade the situation before it became uncontrollable.)
  2. J’aurais préféré qu’elle ne dégrade pas mes efforts en les critiquant ainsi. (I would have preferred if she didn’t degrade my efforts by criticizing them like this.)
  3. Il est dommage que nos relations se soient dégradées ces derniers temps. (It’s a shame that our relationship has deteriorated in recent times.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie dégradé Je crains que j’aie dégradé la situation. I fear that I degraded the situation.
tu aies dégradé Il faut que tu aies dégradé tes relations. You must have degraded your relationships.
il ait dégradé Il est possible qu’il ait dégradé sa réputation. It’s possible he degraded his reputation.
elle ait dégradé Elle souhaite qu’elle ait dégradé le tableau. She wishes she degraded the painting.
on ait dégradé On veut qu’on ait dégradé l’environnement. We want it to have degraded the environment.
nous ayons dégradé Il faut que nous ayons dégradé le système. We must have degraded the system.
vous ayez dégradé Il est important que vous ayez dégradé la qualité. It’s important that you degraded the quality.
ils aient dégradé Ils espèrent qu’ils aient dégradé leur performance. They hope they degraded their performance.
elles aient dégradé Elles craignent qu’elles aient dégradé leur santé. They fear they degraded their health.

Other Conjugations for Dégrader.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégrader
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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