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The imparfait and the subjonctif - though belonging to different grammatical categories as tense and mood - have surprising resemblances in many regards. They are both known for their exceptional polyfunctionality and their capacity for combining with a great variety of contexts. The comparison of the imparfait and the subjonctif requires considering not only the traditional categories of tense and mood but also a third one which is less established and therefore often neglected. The feature of the imperfective aspect - indicated by the name of imparfait - is of essential importance, because this quality is responsible for the numerous interrelations between tense and mood. The special topic of this paper concerns a use of the past tense named imparfait narratif. This issue has often been discussed and has received growing interest after the publication of J. Bres' monograph in 2005. The author describes the phenomenon as a kind of oxymoron, because the grammatical form is used in an atypical context. In the present paper I argue that the same conflictive constellation can be found in the domain of the subjonctif. The modal conflict has been interpreted by grammarians as illogisme. However, this incriminated illogical use is motivated by the intentions of the speakers and therefore must be regarded as meaningful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]