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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévisager

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The English translation of the French verb dévisager is “to stare at”. It is pronounced “day-vee-zah-zhay”.

Dévisager comes from the French words “visage” meaning “face” and the prefix “dé-” which can indicate a reversal or intensification of the action. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past action that is uncertain, hypothetical, or doubtful.

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

  1. Il faut que je l’aie dévisagé sans même le réaliser. (I must have stared at him without even realizing it.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu ne les aies pas dévisagés comme ça. (I wish you hadn’t stared at them like that.)
  3. Il est possible qu’elle ait dévisagé la célébrité dans la foule. (It is possible that she stared at the celebrity in the crowd.)

In these examples, dévisager is used to express an action that may or may not have happened in the past, and the Subjonctif Passé tense adds a level of uncertainty or doubt to the statement.

In everyday French, dévisager can also be used in other tenses such as the Indicatif Présent (Je dévisage, tu dévisages, il dévisage…) or the Impératif (Dévisage-le! Dévisageons-le!).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie dévisagé Je doute que j’aie dévisagé. I doubt that I stared.
tu aies dévisagé Il faut que tu aies dévisagé. You must have stared.
il ait dévisagé Il est possible qu’il ait dévisagé. It’s possible he stared.
elle ait dévisagé Elle craint qu’elle ait dévisagé. She fears she stared.
on ait dévisagé On veut qu’on ait dévisagé. We want it to have been stared.
nous ayons dévisagé Espérons que nous ayons dévisagé. Let’s hope we stared.
vous ayez dévisagé Il est important que vous ayez dévisagé. It’s important that you stared.
ils aient dévisagé Ils doutent qu’ils aient dévisagé. They doubt they stared.
elles aient dévisagé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient dévisagé. They prefer they stared.

Other Conjugations for Dévisager.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévisager
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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