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Fût, vînt, chantât: a French imperfect subjunctive reading sheet

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Recognise the French imperfect subjunctive, compare literary and modern clauses, and distinguish fut from fût with five reading questions.

In short

Qu’il fût, qu’elle vînt and qu’il chantât are imperfect subjunctives. In a literary past narrative, they often correspond to modern qu’il soit, qu’elle vienne and qu’il chante. Read the governing expression as well as the ending.

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A reader with an old novel in a quiet study.
Literary forms such as qu’il fût appear in past narratives. Illustration: Atelier

Le subjonctif imparfait · repères de lecture

1 · Spot the common singular forms

The circumflex distinguishes these third-person singular forms from the corresponding passé simple.

fut → fûtêtre
vint → vîntvenir
chanta → chantâtchanter
finit → finîtfinir
eut → eûtavoir

2 · Keep the main clause in the past

A modern paraphrase changes the subordinate form while preserving the past requirement.

Il fallait qu’elle partît.She had to leave.

Il fallait qu’elle parte.The same requirement in everyday French.

3 · Read what the clause expresses

A wish, necessity or concession provides the relationship. The tense name does not mean “was doing”.

Elle souhaitait qu’il vînt.She wanted him to come.

Bien qu’il fût fatigué, il continua.Although he was tired, he continued.

4 · Other people have forms too

Third-person singular forms are a useful starting point. Older prose also uses the other persons.

Elle voulait que nous restassions.She wanted us to stay.

Il craignait qu’ils fussent en retard.He feared they were late.

5 · Read the whole verb group

Fût alone can mean “was” in a subjunctive clause. Add an active participle with être as auxiliary and the time relationship changes.

Bien qu’elle fût venue, il resta silencieux.Although she had come, he remained silent.

How do you recognise the imperfect subjunctive?

Il fut surpris uses the passé simple of être. Bien qu’il fût surpris uses the imperfect subjunctive after bien que. In nous fûmes, the circumflex belongs to the passé simple: the third-person singular cue is specific to that person.

Compare Elle savait qu’il était prêt with Elle souhaitait qu’il fût prêt. The first states what she knew; the second expresses a wish. The word que alone does not select the subjunctive. In Il fallait qu’elle partît, leaving is required from a past viewpoint; it is not automatically earlier than the requirement.

Question 1No account needed
Identify the imperfect subjunctive.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Bien qu’il fût calme, il hésita.. Fût follows the concessive expression bien que. The other two forms are passé simple.

Question 2No account needed
Keep the past viewpoint in a modern paraphrase of Il fallait qu’elle vînt.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Il fallait qu’elle vienne.. Fallait keeps the requirement in the past; vienne replaces the literary vînt.

Question 3No account needed
Recover the infinitive of chantât.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

chanter. Chantât is the third-person singular imperfect subjunctive of chanter.

Question 4No account needed
Choose the equivalent modern clause.Elle voulait que nous restassions.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

que nous restions. After a past wish, modern que nous restions replaces literary que nous restassions.

Question 5No account needed
Which group expresses a completed earlier arrival?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

qu’elle fût venue. Fût venue combines an auxiliary and participle: it is a pluperfect subjunctive.

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