The Past Subjunctive in French
The French subjonctif(subjunctive) is a mode(mood) used to talk about wishes, desires, necessity, emotions, opinions, uncertainty, and possibility. It commonly occurs in subordinate clauses starting with que(that) but can also be used with other conjunctions. The passé du subjonctif(past subjunctive) is used in French when the action of the subordinate clause happens before the action of the main clause.
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In this article, you'll learn how and when to use the past subjunctive in French. Allons-y!(Let's go!)
Questions This Article Answers
What is the subjunctive mood?
What is the past subjunctive in French?
When do you use the past subjunctive in French?
How do you conjugate verbs in the past subjunctive in French?
The Subjunctive in French
The subjonctif(subjunctive) is a mode(mood) used to talk about wishes, desires, necessity, emotions, opinions, uncertainty, and possibility. The subjunctive commonly shows up in subordinate clauses, which means it often appears in a clause starting with que(that). In this article, we'll explore the past subjunctive!
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The subjunctive is also used after certain conjunctions that indicate goals, consequences, fear, restrictions, and time.
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In the examples above, the conjunctions bien que(even though) and à supposer que(supposing that) trigger the subjunctive.
The Past Subjunctive in French
There are four subjunctive tenses in French, but only two are commonly used in contemporary French: the présent du subjonctif(present subjunctive) and the passé du subjonctif(past subjunctive). The past subjunctive is used in French when the action of the subordinate clause happens before the action of the main clause. In other words, you have to take into account when the action of the subordinate clause takes place relative to the main clause!
When to Use the Past Subjunctive in French
| The action in the subordinate clause happens ... | Main Clause | Subordinate Clause |
|---|---|---|
| at the same time as the main clause | Il est important... It's important ... | que vous écoutiez attentivement. that you listen carefully. |
| after the main clause | Je voudrais... I would like ... | que tu assistes à la réunion demain. you to attend the meeting tomorrow. |
| before the main clause | Je suis surprise... I'm surprised ... | qu’elle soit partie sans dire au revoir. she left without saying goodbye. |
Here are some more examples of the past subjunctive!
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The Present Subjunctive
Although some of the examples above contain a main clause in the past tense (as you can see in the last two examples), a main clause in the past tense doesn't automatically mean the past subjunctive will be used! Again, what's important is that the action in the subordinate clause happens before the action of the main clause. If this isn't the case, the present subjunctive is used in contemporary French.
Learn more about the present subjunctive in this article:
Conjugating Verbs in the Past Subjunctive in French
As a compound tense, the past subjunctive is composed of two parts:
- the auxiliary, either être(to be) or avoir(to have), conjugated in the present subjunctive,
- the past participle of the main verb.
1. The Auxiliary
For the auxiliary, you conjugate either être or avoir in the present subjunctive. These verbs have the following irregular conjugations:
Auxiliaries Être and Avoir in the Present Subjunctive in French
| Subject | être | avoir |
|---|---|---|
| je | sois | aie |
| tu | sois | aies |
| il, elle, on | soit | ait |
| nous | soyons | ayons |
| vous | soyez | ayez |
| ils, elles | soient | aient |
Auxiliary Selection
Whether you choose être or avoir depends on the main verb you are using! Here are some general guidelines:
- All pronominal verbs take être. Pronominal verbs include verbs like se lever(to get up), se préparer(to get ready), and se soucier(to worry).
- A small set of 17 intransitive verbs, which are sometimes called "movement verbs," take être. This set includes commonly used verbs such as aller(to go), venir(to come), and partir(to leave).
- All other verbs take avoir.
Deciding between être and avoir can be challenging. Learn more about these auxiliaries here:
2. The Past Participle of the Main Verb
The main verb appears in its past participle form, which is placed after the auxiliary, e.g., que nous ayons gagné(that we (have) won). Fortunately, there is a pattern for transforming infinitives into past participles in French! For regular verbs, the infinitive endings correspond to the following past participle endings:
Regular Past Participle Endings in French
| Infinitive Ending | Past Participle Ending |
|---|---|
| -er | -é |
| -ir | -i |
| -re | -u |
Here's how the pattern works:
- An -er verb like gagner(to win) becomes gagné(won).
- An -ir verb like définir(to define) becomes défini(defined).
- An -re verb like entendre(to hear) becomes entendu(heard).
There are of course exceptions to this pattern! For example, the past participle of faire(to do, to make) is fait(done, made) and the past participle of prendre(to take) is pris(taken).
Do you want to know more about past participles in French? Check out the following article!
Combining the Auxiliary and the Past Participle
We're now ready to conjugate verbs in the past subjunctive in French! Let's try out some examples with the verb donner(to give), which takes avoir as an auxiliary. As a regular verb, the past participle of donner is donné(given). This gives us the following conjugations for donner in the past subjunctive:
Donner in the Past Subjunctive in French
Now let's take a look at an example with a verb that requires the auxiliary être, such as tomber(to fall).
Tomber in the Past Subjunctive in French
Past Participle Agreement
You may have noticed that the past participles in the table above have parentheses at the end of their forms. These represent gender and number agreement! This is known as l'accord du participe passé(past participle agreement). The rules for past participle agreement differ depending on whether the auxiliary être is used with a non-pronominal verb (like we just saw above) or a pronominal verb (as we'll see next), but agreement can even occur when the auxiliary avoir is used!
Do you want to know more about the interesting yet tricky rule of past participle agreement in French? There's a section dedicated to it in the following article!
Finally, let's take a look at a pronominal verb like s'amuser (to have fun). Remember that all pronominal verbs take the auxiliary être!
S'amuser in the Past Subjunctive in French
Need More Practice?
Try conjugating verbs in the passé du subjonctif with our Conjugation Drill! With a little practice, the passé du subjonctif will become a natural part of your conversations in French.
Here are some more article about the subjunctive in French:
