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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déparler

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The English translation of the French verb déparler is “to speak ill of someone or something.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-par-lay.”

Déparler comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “to undo” or “to reverse” and the verb “parler” meaning “to speak.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “disparlare” meaning “to speak badly.”

In everyday French, déparler is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express something that was said in the past and cannot be changed. It is often used to express regret or remorse for speaking ill of someone or something.

Here are three simple examples of déparler in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’ai regretté d’avoir déparlé de mon amie. (I regretted speaking ill of my friend.)
  2. Il aimerait que tu n’aies pas déparlé de lui à tes collègues. (He would like it if you hadn’t spoken badly of him to your colleagues.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous n’ayez pas déparlé de notre entreprise. (We would have preferred if you hadn’t spoken ill of our company.)

In each of these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used because the action of déparler took place in the past and cannot be changed. It is used to express the speaker’s regret or desire that the situation had been different.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Déparler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déparler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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