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CEFR C1

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French Imperfect Subjunctive (Subjonctif Imparfait): Recognise It

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 25 October 2026

The imperfect subjunctive is the subjunctive of classic French after a past main verb: . - He had to leave. Modern French says . The form you will meet most is the third person singular, and its badge is a circumflex: , , , .

the imperfect subjunctive endingthe modern present subjunctiveWhat do the colours mean?

The whole tense on one screen: the passé simple it is built on, the imperfect subjunctive, and what modern French writes instead.

Passé simpleImp. subj.ModernEnglish
that he was
that he had
that he did
that he came
that he could
that he knew
that he spoke

Quick check

Now use it: three quick questions on the chart above. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Which modern form means the same?

  1. qu'il fût

  2. qu'il eût

  3. qu'il fît (Fît comes from il fit, the passé simple of faire.)

It is on the AQA A-level grammar list as a recognition-only item, at full A-level and not at AS: you read it, you do not write it.

How it is built

the imperfect subjunctive endingWhat do the colours mean?

Take the form of the and drop its final s. What is left is the stem: gives parla-, gives fu-, gives eu-, gives vin-. Then add the endings.

passé simple tu form, minus s, plus the ending
Subjectparleravoirêtre

Five of the six persons hiss with a double s. The third person singular is the odd one out: no ss, just a circumflex on the stem vowel and a t.

The rule works for every verb, irregulars included, because the irregularity is already in the :

InfinitivePassé simpleImp. subj.English
that he did
that he came
that he had to
that he left

For the result is a near twin of the present subjunctive. , and belong to both tenses; only , against , gives the imperfect away.

The circumflex: fut or fût?

passé simple: he wasimperfect subjunctive: that he wasWhat do the colours mean?

In the third person singular, the never takes a circumflex and the imperfect subjunctive always does. That one accent is the whole difference on the page.

Passé simpleImp. subj.Meaning
he was / that he was
he had / that he had
he did / that he did
he came / that he came
he spoke / that he spoke

The context agrees with the accent. A subjunctive sits after a trigger such as , or :

  • . - He was ill all winter.
  • , . - Although he was ill, he went on working.

Watch the source, too. Careful editions print the accent, but a careless web copy of an old text may drop it, and then the trigger before the verb is your only guide.

Two warnings. The and forms of the carry a circumflex too ( ), so the rule is about and only. And a handful of ordinary presents carry one: , , are indicative presents, not subjunctives.

Where you meet it

the subjunctive formWhat do the colours mean?

The imperfect subjunctive belongs to the old rule of tense agreement, the concordance : a past main verb put the subjunctive clause into the imperfect.

TriggerLiteraryEnglish
.He had to leave.
.I wanted her to come.
, .Although it was late, she went out.
.She was waiting for nightfall.

The full classical scheme had four cells. Modern French keeps the top row's pair for both rows:

Main verbSame time or laterEarlier
(now)
(old)
(today)

Read across: I doubt he is coming, I doubt he came; then the same doubt in the past. The middle row is the one this page is about, and the one a modern writer replaces with the last.

You meet it in classic literature (Balzac, Flaubert, Proust), in very formal prose, and in writers and journalists who use it for effect. Even there, it is usually the third person singular. The other persons sound so heavy that writers avoid them: is a form many French readers find faintly comic.

Modern French: the present subjunctive

the modern present subjunctiveWhat do the colours mean?

Everyday modern French has dropped that rule. After a past main verb it uses the present subjunctive, which is what you should write.

the literary form becomes the present subjunctive
TriggerLiteraryModern
. .
. .

The glosses: I wanted her to come. Although he was ill. We had to leave. The meaning does not change: the modern sentence is the same sentence in today's spelling of the grammar. For the present subjunctive itself, see its formation.

Set phrases that survive

the imperfect subjunctiveWhat do the colours mean?

A few fixed expressions keep the imperfect subjunctive in modern formal French. Most invert the verb, with no .

PhraseExampleEnglish
- , - .Stay, if only for an hour.
- , - , .No man, even a king, is above the law.
- , - .He will finish, even if it takes him all night.
, .Whatever the truth, she never came back.

is the past-tense partner of the everyday , whatever the case may be. Unlike the other three, it belongs to literary narrative only: a modern writer uses even in a past story.

The pluperfect subjunctive: qu'il eût fait

the auxiliary in the imperfect subjunctivethe modern past subjunctiveWhat do the colours mean?

Put the auxiliary into the imperfect subjunctive and add a past participle, and you have the pluperfect subjunctive: , . It is the literary form of the past subjunctive, for an event already over before a past main verb.

TriggerLiteraryModern
, . , .
. .
. .

The glosses: Although he had finished, he stayed. I was sorry she had left. He left before she had finished.

Do not confuse it with the passé antérieur, which has no circumflex: , when he had finished, is indicative.

Il eût été préférable: a conditional in disguise

the auxiliary in the imperfect subjunctivethe modern past conditionalWhat do the colours mean?

In a main clause, the pluperfect subjunctive can stand in for the past conditional. Grammars call it the . Read it as would have.

VerbLiteraryModern
. .
. .
? ?

The glosses: It would have been better to leave. We should have acted sooner. Who would have thought it?

is one you may still meet in a formal newspaper column. In literary past conditionals both halves can take this form: , . - If he had known, he would have come. Modern French writes , .

Reading a literary passage

passé simpleimperfect subjunctiveWhat do the colours mean?

Here is a in the classic style, with every literary verb coloured:

  • .
  • , .
  • ; , .

The young man had to leave before dawn. Although he was exhausted, he got up without a sound. His mother would have liked to keep him back; she said nothing, for fear he might see her cry.

Two questions unlock each verb. Is it a third person with a circumflex? Does it follow or come inverted? If so, swap in the modern form and read on.

LiteraryTenseModern
imperfect subjunctive
imperfect subjunctive
simple
pluperfect subj., would have
simplea
imperfect subjunctive

The before negates nothing: it is the literary that attracts.

Mistakes English speakers make

FormMisread asReallyWhy
he wasthat he wascircumflex: subjunctive
he had beenit would have beena conditional in disguise
a subjunctivehe knowsan ordinary present
that he had finishedhe had finishedno circumflex: indicative
that he finishesthat he finishedthe present is

And the writing mistake: using it in your own essay. Write ; in an A-level answer reads as showing off, and a wrong circumflex costs more than it gains.

What to do next

  1. Learn the third-person forms by sight: , , , , , , .
  2. In any classic novel, read each one aloud as its modern present subjunctive.
  3. Go back to the passé simple if a stem does not ring a bell: every form here is built on it.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/6

Which modern form means the same?

  1. qu'il fût

  2. qu'il eût

  3. qu'il fît (Fît comes from il fit, the passé simple of faire.)

  4. qu'il vînt

  5. qu'il pût

  6. qu'il eût fait (Eût plus a participle is the pluperfect subjunctive.)

Sort into groups

0/10

Passé simple or imperfect subjunctive? Look for the circumflex.

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Matching

0/6

Match each literary phrase to its meaning.

Change the sentence

0/5

Rewrite the literary sentence in modern French.

  1. Il fallait qu'il partît.→ modern French

    Il fallait qu'il .

  2. Je voulais qu'elle vînt.→ modern French

    Je voulais qu'elle .

  3. Bien qu'il fût malade, il travaillait.→ modern French

    Bien qu'il malade, il travaillait.

  4. Elle regrettait qu'il eût menti.→ modern French

    Elle regrettait qu'il .

  5. Il eût été préférable de partir.→ modern conditional

    Il préférable de partir.

Pick the right one

0/4

With or without the circumflex? Choose the form the sentence needs.

  1. Bien qu'il tard, elle sortit. (although it was late) (Bien que takes the subjunctive.)

  2. Quand il parti, elle pleura. (when he had left) (Quand takes the indicative: this is the passé antérieur.)

  3. Il partit avant qu'elle fini. (before she had finished) (Avant que takes the subjunctive.)

  4. Il fallu partir plus tôt. (we should have left earlier) (Would have: the pluperfect subjunctive standing in for the conditional.)

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Frequently asked questions

What is the imperfect subjunctive in French?
A subjunctive tense of classic and very formal French, used after a past main verb: (he had to leave), (although she was tired). It does the job the present subjunctive does in modern French, which writes . You need to recognise it in literature; you do not need to write it.
How is the imperfect subjunctive formed?
Take the form of the and drop the final s: gives parla-, gives fu-, gives vin-. Add -sse, -sses, -ssions, -ssiez, -ssent, and for / a circumflex on the last vowel plus t. So , , ; , ; .
What is the difference between and ?
The circumflex. , with no accent, is the : he was. , with a circumflex, is the imperfect subjunctive: that he was, that he might be. The same goes for and , fit and , and , put and . In the third person singular the never takes a circumflex, so a circumflex on a verb form such as or signals the subjunctive.
Do French people still use the imperfect subjunctive?
Hardly ever in speech, and rarely in modern writing, where the present subjunctive has taken over: , not . It survives in literature, in very formal prose, in some journalism that likes the effect, and in set phrases such as - (if only), - (even if he were) and ? (who would have thought it?).
What does mean?
It would have been better. is the pluperfect subjunctive, and in formal writing it can stand in for the past conditional, . This use is sometimes called the . means : we should have left. Read + participle in a main clause as would have.