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Tense guide
Imparfait du subjonctif (Imperfect Subjunctive)

Language: French
Tense:
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Introduction

This is a special verb form used almost exclusively in formal literature and historical writing. It expresses an opinion, wish, doubt, or necessity in a past context. You will not hear it in everyday French conversation, but you will see it in classic novels and formal texts.

The most common use is after expressions of wanting, needing, or feeling something, when the main action happened in the past. It shows that the second action was uncertain or subjective at that past moment.

Il fallait que tu parlasses au directeur.
(It was necessary for you to speak to the director.)
Elle voulait que nous finissions nos devoirs avant le dîner.
(She wanted us to finish our homework before dinner.)
Le roi ordonna que le prisonnier fût libéré immédiatement.
(The king ordered that the prisoner be freed immediately.)
J'avais peur qu'il ne vînt pas à la réunion.
(I was afraid he would not come to the meeting.)
Ses parents doutaient qu'il eût assez d'argent.
(His parents doubted that he had enough money.)

This form is also used after certain connecting words like afin que (so that), pour que (so that), or avant que (before), when the main event is in the past.

Il est parti avant que je pusse lui dire au revoir.
(He left before I could say goodbye to him.)
Elle lui a donné des instructions claires pour qu'il sût quoi faire.
(She gave him clear instructions so that he would know what to do.)
Nous avons couru afin que nous arrivassions à l'heure.
(We ran so that we would arrive on time.)

In very old or highly literary texts, you might see this form after si (if) to talk about a past condition that did not happen. This is extremely rare in modern French and sounds very dated.

Si je l'eusse su plus tôt, j'aurais agi différemment.
(If I had known it sooner, I would have acted differently.)
Si le messager fût arrivé à temps, la ville aurait été sauvée.
(If the messenger had arrived in time, the city would have been saved.)

Important: This verb form is almost never used in spoken French today. In modern conversation and writing, people use other verb structures to express these ideas. You will mainly encounter it when reading French literature from the 19th century or earlier.

Further explanations

Conjugation patterns