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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démâter

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of démâter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb démâter is “to demast.” The infinitive form, démâter, is pronounced “day-mah-tay.”

Démâter comes from the French word “mât,” meaning mast, and the prefix “dé-,” which typically indicates a reversal or removal of something. In everyday French, démâter is most often used in its Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Here are three examples of the usage of démâter in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with their translations in English:

  1. Il est possible que le bateau se soit démâté pendant la tempête.
    Translation: It is possible that the boat demasted during the storm.

  2. J’aurais préféré qu’il ne démâte pas le voilier avant notre voyage.
    Translation: I would have preferred that he didn’t demast the sailboat before our trip.

  3. Si nous n’avions pas été là, le bateau se serait sûrement démâté.
    Translation: If we hadn’t been there, the boat would surely have demasted.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie démâté Je ne crois pas que j’aie démâté. I don’t think I broke the mast.
tu aies démâté Il est possible que tu aies démâté. It’s possible you broke the mast.
il ait démâté Nous voulons qu’il ait démâté. We want it to have been broken.
elle ait démâté Elle doute qu’elle ait démâté. She doubts she broke the mast.
on ait démâté On espère qu’on ait démâté. We hope we broke the mast.
nous ayons démâté Nous craignons que nous ayons démâté. We fear we broke the mast.
vous ayez démâté Il est important que vous ayez démâté. It’s important that you broke the mast.
ils aient démâté Ils veulent qu’ils aient démâté. They want it to have been broken.
elles aient démâté Elles croient qu’elles aient démâté. They believe they broke the mast.

Other Conjugations for Démâter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démâter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the démâter Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts