#dobalganero6116
fathom ermine
lusty cairn
you mean conjugation or tense
declension only applies to nouns and French doesn't really have declesions, per se
finite echo
Anyway, that's the subjunctive imperfect
lusty cairn
as for what tense would be used, plain ole imperfect
eternal haven
double negative sentence always hurt the most for some reason
But yes, Subjonctif Imparfait
high meadow
so it is correct to say it in spoken french
lusty cairn
well, in the example, it is imperfect subjunctive
but in spoken French, regular imperfect gets used
finite echo
There's a coincidence where the subjunctive imperfect third person singular is just the passé simple third person singular but with the final vowel having a circonflex plus a T at the end
finite echo
so it is correct to say it in spoken french
Not at all, we'd just use the subjunctive present
lusty cairn
in this case I'd go for imperfect, not for subjunctive present
idle fjord
so it is correct to say it in spoken french
It's correct but would only be used by a small handful of people
eternal haven
"qu'il vivait avec une femme", I would also go for imperfect
finite echo
Given that the phrase is in the subjunctive, why not just change the tense but keep the mood?
lusty cairn
the salient feature is the past-ness
if that wasn't important regular subjunctive present would get used
finite echo
oh that makes sense, we're putting emphasis on the past-ness
idle fjord
Yeah
finite echo
I thought that the point is just it being subjunctive
lusty cairn
I mean, we're dealing with an area that gets treated as "incorrect"
high meadow
so qu'il vécût is not regular in spoken???
lusty cairn
so, the correct thing to do while also being incorrect is kinda hard to find
eternal haven
oh that makes sense, we're putting emphasis on the past-ness
yes that's the reason, with subjunctive present "qu'il vive", it changes the meaning, like maybe he hasn't lived with her yet.
high meadow
qu'il vivait is what people would say
finite echo
so qu'il vécût is not regular in spoken???
not at all
lusty cairn
so qu'il vécût is not regular in spoken???
there's a famous example of Sarkozy using imperfect subjunctive orally
but he was made fun of... like everywhere for it
eternal haven
so qu'il vécût is not regular in spoken???
it's correct in theory but not in practice 
high meadow
context >
finite echo
The subjunctive imperfect and its past version, the subjunctive pluperfect, are found in literature
idle fjord
Imperfect subjunctive has all but vanished from spoken French. A very small selection of people may use it as a joke or because they're stuck up about it or something but it's incredibly rare
finite echo
In oral contexts, we replace the imperfect with the present, and the pluperfect with the past
idle fjord
And it will sound bizarre
But yeah, the replacements of the rarer subjunctive tenses can vary a bit based on context - often speakers will just avoid wording that would trigger it
lusty cairn
using it orally would be like using Shakespearian English orally
idle fjord
Yeah
lusty cairn
"Woudst thou lend my thine lov'ly salt shaker?"
finite echo
For example, the 'right' thing would be, « Je voulais qu'elle partît » but in oral French that'd be « Je voulais qu'elle parte »
high meadow
what about if I say 'qu'il ait vécu'
finite echo
That'd be the subjunctive past, still in use
lusty cairn
but it's used in a totally different set of circumstances
so it wouldn't work grammatically in the text above
high meadow
wow, guys!!!!
lusty cairn
actually it could work in the text
finite echo
« Il est possible que je me sois révéillé trop tard. »
high meadow
you're the grammar army lol
lusty cairn
but a different meaning
but the important thing to know is that they're not interchangeable
finite echo
Changing the main tense should have changed the subjunctive set :
« Il est possible que je me sois réveillé trop tard. »
« Il était possible que je me fusse réveillé trop tard. »
But in oral/modern French, both variants would use the past subjunctive.
« Il est possible que je me sois réveillé trop tard. »
« Il était possible que je me sois réveillé trop tard. »
high meadow
interesting
lusty cairn
fwiw, and this is worth noting I think, modern French speakers do not KNOW or APPLY these rules
high meadow
the verb be changes but not the rest
eternal haven
I know these rules but never apply them because other people don't know them
finite echo
The main difference is the temporal relation between the subjunctive clause and the main clause.
<> If the subjunctive clause has not happened or is currently happening relative to the main clause, the subjunctive present is used.
<> If the subjunctive clause has already happened relative to the main clause, the subjunctive past is used.
« J'ai peur qu'elle parte. »
–> Her leaving has not happened when/will happen after I expressed my emotions.
« J'ai peur qu'elle soit partie. »
–> Her leaving has already happened when I expressed my emotions.