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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépêtrer

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of dépêtrer. 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 dépêtrer is “to untangle” or “to extricate oneself”. It is pronounced as “day-peh-treh”.

The origin of the word dépêtrer can be traced back to the Old French word “despeitrer” which meant “to free from trouble” or “to disentangle”. This verb is derived from the Latin word “dis” meaning “apart” and “petra” meaning “stone”.

In everyday French, dépêtrer is mostly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’espère qu’il a pu se dépêtrer de cette situation difficile. (I hope he was able to untangle himself from this difficult situation.)
  2. Il n’avait pas de ciseaux pour se dépêtrer de ses bracelets. (He didn’t have scissors to untangle himself from his bracelets.)
  3. Nous sommes arrivés juste à temps pour les aider à se dépêtrer de la foule. (We arrived just in time to help them extricate themselves from the crowd.)

English translations:

  1. I hope he was able to untangle himself from this difficult situation.
  2. He didn’t have scissors to untangle himself from his bracelets.
  3. We arrived just in time to help them extricate themselves from the crowd.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me sois dépêtré(e) Je suis content(e) que je me sois dépêtré(e). I’m glad I managed.
tu te sois dépêtré(e) Il est dommage que tu te sois dépêtré(e). It’s a shame you managed.
il se soit dépêtré Je suis content que tu se soit dépêtré. I’m glad he managed.
elle se soit dépêtrée Nous sommes heureux que tu se soit dépêtré. We’re happy he managed.
on se soit dépêtré Je doute que tu se soit dépêtré. I doubt you managed.
nous nous soyons dépêtré(e)s Il est important que nous nous soyons dépêtré(e)s. It’s important we managed.
vous vous soyez dépêtré(e)s Il faut que vous vous soyez dépêtré(e)s. You must have managed.
ils se soient dépêtrés Ils doutent que vous se soient dépêtrés. They doubt you managed.
elles se soient dépêtrées Elles préfèrent que vous se soient dépêtrées. They prefer you managed.

Other Conjugations for Dépêtrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépêtrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 dépêtrer Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts