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

Introduction to the verb distancer

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The English translation of the French verb distancer is “to distance.” It is pronounced as “dee-stahn-seh” in its infinitive form.

The word distancer comes from the French noun “distance,” which itself derives from the Latin word “distantia,” meaning “a space, distance, remoteness.” In everyday French, the verb distancer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is a subjunctive tense used to express a possibility or hypothetical situation in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Il aurait fallu que tu te distancies de cette personne toxique. (You should have distanced yourself from that toxic person.)
  2. Elle aurait préféré que son mari se distancie de ses collègues de travail. (She would have preferred her husband to distance himself from his colleagues at work.)
  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous vous distanciez de cette mauvaise influence. (We would have liked for you to distance yourself from that bad influence.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie distancé Il est possible que j’aie distancé. It’s possible that I have distanced myself.
tu aies distancé Tu doutes que tu aies distancé. You doubt that you have distanced yourself.
il ait distancé Il est important qu’il ait distancé. It’s important that he has distanced himself.
elle ait distancé Elle préfère qu’elle ait distancé. She prefers that she has distanced herself.
on ait distancé On veut qu’on ait distancé. We want it to have been distanced.
nous ayons distancé Il est essentiel que nous ayons distancé. It’s essential that we have distanced ourselves.
vous ayez distancé Il est possible que vous ayez distancé. It’s possible that you have distanced yourselves.
ils aient distancé Ils sont heureux que ils aient distancé. They are happy that they have distanced themselves.
elles aient distancé Elles sont surprises qu’elles aient distancé. They are surprised that they have distanced themselves.

Other Conjugations for Distancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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