Il fallut que je sois fusse...: a la recherche d'un temps perdu (2001-2012) (I had to be fussy... In Search of a Lost Tense (2001-2012)

The subjunctive imperfect continues nonetheless to provide fodder for conversation. It enjoys a degree of media interest documented in this paper by means of a sample of the often biased comments it has been getting in the written press between 2001 and 2012. It is furthermore claimed that those who employ the subjunctive imperfect without the stated aim of trying to illustrate its potentially incongruous nature often draw attention to themselves. Biased comments on the tense in general and comments on individual usage that either appears out of character or divides public opinion are listed separately. We also ask, or rather revisit, the question of whether the subjunctive imperfect has a future. It goes without saying that media interest alone will not guarantee the survival of a verb tense that has virtually disappeared from the spoken language and is therefore doomed to be doomed.