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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délabrer

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The English translation of the French verb délabrer is “to dilapidate” or “to deteriorate.”

The infinitive form of délabrer is pronounced “day-la-brah-ray.”

Délabrer comes from the Latin word “delabrare,” meaning “to pull down” or “to demolish.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and originally referred to the destruction of buildings or structures. Over time, it also came to be used figuratively to describe the deterioration or ruin of anything, such as relationships or health.

In everyday French, délabrer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express an action that has not yet happened but is being imagined or wished for in the past.

Three examples of délabrer in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with their English translations, are:

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu ne délabres pas cette belle maison. (I would have preferred that you didn’t dilapidate this beautiful house.)
  2. Il faut que nous empêchions ces guerres de délabrer notre société. (We must prevent these wars from deteriorating our society.)
  3. J’aurais aimé que mes parents n’aient pas laissé leur santé se délabrer ainsi. (I wish my parents hadn’t let their health deteriorate like this.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie délabré Il est possible que j’aie délabré la maison. It’s possible that I have damaged the house.
tu aies délabré Tu es la seule personne que j’aie délabré. You are the only person I have ruined.
il ait délabré Il est important qu’il ait délabré les meubles. It’s important that he damaged the furniture.
elle ait délabré Elle craint qu’elle ait délabré sa voiture. She fears she damaged her car.
on ait délabré On doute qu’on ait délabré l’immeuble. We doubt we damaged the building.
nous ayons délabré Nous sommes contents que nous ayons délabré la salle de bain. We are happy that we ruined the bathroom.
vous ayez délabré Il est possible que vous ayez délabré vos affaires. It’s possible that you damaged your belongings.
ils aient délabré Ils doutent qu’ils aient délabré le jardin. They doubt they ruined the garden.
elles aient délabré Elles sont déçues qu’elles aient délabré leurs vêtements. They are disappointed that they damaged their clothes.

Other Conjugations for Délabrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délabrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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