The imperfect subjunctive
A literary mood: qu’il parlât, qu’il fût, qu’il vînt.
⚡Key points
Formation
The imperfect subjunctive is built on the passé simple. In the 3rd person singular it has a distinctive circumflex accent: -ât (-er verbs), -ît (-ir/-re), -ût (-us type). It is a purely literary tense; the goal is to recognise it.
Third person singular
| parler (il parla) | qu’il parlât | -ât |
| finir (il finit) | qu’il finît | -ît |
| être (il fut) | qu’il fût | -ût |
| avoir (il eut) | qu’il eût | -ût |
| venir (il vint) | qu’il vînt | -înt |
| faire (il fit) | qu’il fît | -ît |
Literary sequence of tenses
In classical written style, when the main verb is in the past, a subjunctive clause goes into the imperfect subjunctive (instead of the present): Je voulais qu’il vînt. For completion — the pluperfect subjunctive: Je regrettais qu’il fût parti. In modern French both are replaced by the present / past subjunctive.
Use (literary)
Imperfect subjunctive
Il fallait qu’elle partît. (modern: qu’elle parte.)
Pluperfect subjunctive
Je craignais qu’il n’eût oublié. (modern: qu’il ait oublié.)
As the 2nd-form past conditional
Il eût aimé venir. (= il aurait aimé venir.)
💡⚠️ Recognise it, don’t confuse it with the passé simple
Excerpt: a classical novel
Narrator: She ought to have spoken, but she stayed silent. | Although it was late, no one thought of leaving. | They feared he had lost everything at the game. | She would have liked to answer, but words failed her.