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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépaver

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The English translation of the French verb dépaver is “to remove pavement” or “to dig up pavement.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-pah-vay.”

The word dépaver comes from the prefix “de-” which means “to remove” and the word “pavé” which means “pavement.” It is a combination of the words dé and pavé, with the -er ending added to form the verb.

In everyday French, dépaver is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already happened. It is often used to express regret, doubt, or a wish for something to have been different in the past.

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

  1. Il est dommage que nous n’ayons pas dépavé cette rue plus tôt. (It’s a shame that we didn’t remove the pavement on this street sooner.)
  2. J’aimerais que tu aies dépavé le chemin avant que je n’arrive. (I wish you had dug up the pavement on the path before I arrived.)
  3. Il est possible que nous ayons dépavé la cour si nous avions eu plus de temps. (It’s possible that we would have removed the pavement in the courtyard if we had more time.)

English translations:

  1. It’s a shame that we didn’t remove the pavement on this street sooner.
  2. I wish you had dug up the pavement on the path before I arrived.
  3. It’s possible that we would have removed the pavement in the courtyard if we had more time.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie dépavé Il est important que j’aie dépavé. It’s important that I depaved.
tu aies dépavé Tu penses que tu aies dépavé? Do you think you depaved?
il ait dépavé Il y a eu des travaux avant qu’il n’ait dépavé. There was work done before he depaved.
elle ait dépavé Elle espère qu’elle ait dépavé. She hopes she depaved.
on ait dépavé On doute que l’on ait dépavé. We doubt that we depaved.
nous ayons dépavé Nous craignons que nous ayons dépavé. We fear we depaved.
vous ayez dépavé Vous croyez que vous ayez dépavé. Do you believe you depaved?
ils aient dépavé Ils souhaitent qu’ils aient dépavé. They wish they depaved.
elles aient dépavé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient dépavé. They prefer they depaved.

Other Conjugations for Dépaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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