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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détraquer

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The English translation of the French verb détraquer is “to derail” or “to break down.” It is pronounced as “day-trah-kay.”

Détraquer comes from the prefix “dés-” meaning “dis-” and the verb “traquer” meaning “to hunt.” Combined, détraquer conveys the idea of disrupting or throwing off course.

In everyday French, détraquer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the subjunctive form followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of détraquer in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il faut que j’aie détraqué le système informatique. (I must have derailed the computer system.)
  2. Je doute qu’elle ait détraqué la machine volontairement. (I doubt that she derailed the machine on purpose.)
  3. Ils regrettent que nous n’ayons pas détraqué le plan. (They regret that we did not derail the plan.)

In these sentences, détraquer is used to express a possibility or doubt about a past action. It conveys the idea that the action may have happened, but it is not certain or confirmed.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie détraqué Je souhaite que j’aie détraqué l’appareil. I hope that I broke the device.
tu aies détraqué Il est possible que tu aies détraqué le système. It’s possible you messed up the system.
il ait détraqué Il est important qu’il ait détraqué la machine. It’s important that he broke the machine.
elle ait détraqué Elle espère qu’elle ait détraqué le moteur. She hopes she damaged the engine.
on ait détraqué On craint qu’on ait détraqué le mécanisme. We fear we messed up the mechanism.
nous ayons détraqué Il faut que nous ayons détraqué le système. We must have messed up the system.
vous ayez détraqué Vous doutez qu’il y ait détraqué l’appareil. You doubt it was broken.
ils aient détraqué Ils préfèrent qu’ils aient détraqué leur ordinateur. They prefer they messed up their computer.
elles aient détraqué Elles veulent qu’elles aient détraqué le dispositif. They want to have messed up the device.

Other Conjugations for Détraquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détraquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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