Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abdiquer

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The English translation of the French verb “abdiquer” is “to abdicate.” The infinitive form “abdiquer” is pronounced as “ahb-dee-kay.”

The word “abdiquer” originated from the Latin word “abdicare,” which means “to renounce,” “to disown,” or “to surrender.” In everyday French, “abdiquer” is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé (subjunctive past) tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that occurred in the past.

Here are three examples of “abdiquer” in the Subjonctif Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il aurait fallu que le roi abdiquât pour éviter la guerre.
    (It would have been necessary for the king to have abdicated to avoid the war.)

  2. Je regrette qu’elle ait abdiqué ses responsabilités familiales.
    (I regret that she abdicated her family responsibilities.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que le président n’ait pas abdiqué son autorité.
    (We would have preferred that the president hadn’t abdicated his authority.)

Please note that the usage of the Subjonctif Passé tense is less common in everyday speech and more frequently found in formal or written French.

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of abdiquer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie abdiqué Il est possible que j’aie abdiqué. It’s possible that I abdicated.
tu aies abdiqué Il faut que tu aies abdiqué. You must have abdicated.
il ait abdiqué Je doute qu’il ait abdiqué. I doubt he abdicated.
elle ait abdiqué Elle craint qu’elle ait abdiqué. She fears she abdicated.
on ait abdiqué On veut qu’on ait abdiqué. We want it to have been abdicated.
nous ayons abdiqué Espérons que nous ayons abdiqué. Let’s hope we abdicated.
vous ayez abdiqué Il est important que vous ayez abdiqué. It’s important that you abdicated.
ils aient abdiqué Ils doutent qu’ils aient abdiqué. They doubt they abdicated.
elles aient abdiqué Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient abdiqué. They prefer they abdicated.

Other Conjugations for Abdiquer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer     (this article)

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abdiquer

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Abdiquer – About the French Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense

The French Subjonctif Passé is a verb tense used to express actions or states that are uncertain, hypothetical, or dependent on some condition in the past. It’s often used in conjunction with the main verb in the present or future tense to convey various nuances of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Subjonctif Passé

To form the Subjonctif Passé, you generally need to start with the third person plural (ils/elles) form of the passé composé (a compound past tense). Then, drop the subject and replace it with the appropriate Subjonctif endings. The endings are the same for regular -er, -ir, and -re verbs:

   – For -er verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent
   – For -ir verbs: -isse, -isses, -ît, -issions, -issiez, -issent
   – For -re verbs: -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent

For example, if you have the verb “parler” (to speak) in the third person plural passé composé, which is “ils ont parlé” (they spoke), the Subjonctif Passé form would be “qu’ils aient parlé” (that they spoke).

Everyday Usage Patterns

The Subjonctif Passé is commonly used in various situations:

– Expressing doubt or uncertainty: It’s used when you’re not certain about the completion of an action in the past. For example, “Je doute qu’il ait mangé” (I doubt that he ate).

– Desires and preferences: When you want or wish for something to have happened in the past. For instance, “Je préfère que tu aies réussi” (I prefer that you have succeeded).

– Expressing emotions: To convey emotions or feelings related to past actions or events. For example, “Il est content que nous ayons gagné” (He is happy that we won).

– Hypothetical situations: When discussing hypothetical or unreal past situations. For example, “Si j’avais su, j’aurais souhaité qu’ils aient été là” (If I had known, I would have wished they had been there).

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Subjonctif Passé often interacts with other tenses to convey specific meanings:

Present tense

It’s commonly used after expressions of doubt, desire, necessity, or emotion in the present. For example, “Il faut que tu aies fini” (You must have finished).

Future tense

It’s used in the future for hypothetical or unreal actions in the past when the main clause is in the future. For example, “Je douterai qu’ils aient terminé demain” (I will doubt that they have finished tomorrow).

Conditional

When the main clause is in the conditional, the Subjonctif Passé can be used to express unreal or hypothetical actions in the past. For instance, “Il voudrait que nous ayons réussi” (He would like us to have succeeded).

Summary

The Subjonctif Passé is a versatile tense used in French to convey uncertainty, doubt, desire, or hypothetical situations related to past actions. It is used in various everyday contexts and interacts with other tenses to express specific nuances in the language.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb abdiquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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