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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévisser

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The English translation of the French verb dévisser is “to unscrew.” It is pronounced as “day-vee-say” in the infinitive form.

Dévisser comes from the Latin word “divulsus” meaning “to tear away.” It is a combination of the prefix “de” meaning “away” and the verb “visser” meaning “to screw.” It was first used in French in the late 18th century.

In everyday French, dévisser is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action that is uncertain, hypothetical, or contrary to reality. It is often used after phrases such as “il est possible que” (it is possible that), “il est dommage que” (it is a shame that), or “je regrette que” (I regret that).

Examples:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie dévissé trop fort et que le bouchon se soit cassé. (It is possible that I unscrewed too hard and that the cork broke.)
  2. Il est dommage que vous ayez dévissé avant de lire les instructions. (It’s a shame that you unscrewed before reading the instructions.)
  3. Je regrette que nous n’ayons pas dévissé le vieux robinet avant de le remplacer. (I regret that we didn’t unscrew the old faucet before replacing it.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dévisser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévisser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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