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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détracter

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The English translation of the French verb détracter is “to detract” or “to criticize.” It is pronounced as “day-trak-tay.”

The origin of the word détracter can be traced back to the Latin word “detractare,” meaning “to pull away” or “to take away.” In everyday French, détracter is most often used in its Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

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

  1. J’espère que tu n’as pas détracté le travail de ton collègue. (I hope you didn’t criticize your colleague’s work.)
  2. Il est possible que les critiques aient détracté le film avant même sa sortie. (It is possible that the critics detracted from the movie even before its release.)
  3. Il faut que je te dise, j’ai détracté tes idées lors de la réunion. (I have to tell you, I criticized your ideas during the meeting.)

In these examples, détracter is used to express a past action of criticizing or detracting that may or may not have actually happened. The use of the Subjonctif Passé tense adds a sense of uncertainty or doubt to the action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie détracté Il est possible que j’aie détracté. It’s possible that I criticized.
tu aies détracté C’est mieux que tu aies détracté. It’s better that you criticized.
il ait détracté Il est nécessaire qu’il ait détracté. It’s necessary that he criticized.
elle ait détracté Elle craint qu’elle ait détracté. She fears she criticized.
on ait détracté Il est difficile qu’on ait détracté. It’s difficult that we criticized.
nous ayons détracté Il faut que nous ayons détracté. We must have criticized.
vous ayez détracté Il est important que vous ayez détracté. It’s important that you criticized.
ils aient détracté Ils doutent qu’ils aient détracté. They doubt they criticized.
elles aient détracté Elles espèrent qu’elles aient détracté. They hope they criticized.

Other Conjugations for Détracter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détracter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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