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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détourner

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The English translation of the French verb détourner is “to divert” or “to turn away.” It is pronounced as “day-toor-nay.”

The word détourner comes from the Old French word destourner, which is derived from the Latin word distorquere, meaning “to twist.” In everyday French, détourner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is a literary tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

3 examples of détourner in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Il faut que j’aie détourneé ce sujet dans ma thèse. (I had to have diverted this topic in my thesis.)
  2. Je suis contente que tu aies détourneé l’attention du public pendant ma présentation. (I am glad you diverted the audience’s attention during my presentation.)
  3. Il est possible qu’elle n’ait pas détourneé les fonds à des fins personnelles. (It is possible that she did not divert the funds for personal purposes.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie détourné Je suis content que j’aie détourné ton attention. I’m glad I diverted your attention.
tu aies détourné Il préfèrerait que tu aies détourné l’argent. He would prefer that you diverted the money.
il ait détourné Il est important qu’il ait détourné le regard. It’s important that he averted his gaze.
elle ait détourné Elle doute qu’elle ait détourné l’itinéraire. She doubts that she diverted the route.
on ait détourné On est curieux qu’on ait détourné le sujet. We are curious that the subject was diverted.
nous ayons détourné Nous sommes soulagés que nous ayons détourné la catastrophe. We are relieved that we diverted the disaster.
vous ayez détourné Il est possible que vous ayez détourné des fonds. It’s possible that you embezzled funds.
ils aient détourné Ils pensent qu’ils aient détourné l’attention. They think they diverted the attention.
elles aient détourné Elles n’aiment pas qu’elles aient détourné leur regard. They don’t like that they averted their gaze.

Other Conjugations for Détourner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détourner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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