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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb absenter

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The English translation of the French verb absenter is “to be absent” or “to absent oneself.” It is pronounced as “ahb-sawn-tay.”

Absenter comes from the Latin word “absentare” meaning “to be absent.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express something that happened in the past but is uncertain or hypothetical.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Il faut que tu te sois absenté pendant son discours.
    English translation: You must have been absent during his speech.

  2. Je doute qu’elle se soit absentée de l’école sans raison.
    English translation: I doubt that she was absent from school without a reason.

  3. Il est possible qu’ils se soient absentés de la réunion sans prévenir.
    English translation: It is possible that they were absent from the meeting without notifying anyone.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me sois absenté Je suis désolé que je me sois absenté. I’m sorry I was absent.
tu te sois absenté Pourquoi tu penses que tu te sois absenté ? Why do you think you were absent?
il se soit absenté Il est important qu’il se soit absenté. It’s important that he was absent.
elle se soit absentée Elle craint qu’elle se soit absentée. She fears she was absent.
on se soit absenté On espère qu’on se soit absenté. We hope we were absent.
nous nous soyons absentés Nous devons admettre que nous nous soyons absentés. We have to admit that we were absent.
vous vous soyez absentés Il est possible que vous vous soyez absentés. It’s possible you were absent.
ils se soient absentés Ils doutent qu’ils se soient absentés. They doubt they were absent.
elles se soient absentées Elles préfèrent qu’elles se soient absentées. They prefer they were absent.

Other Conjugations for Absenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb absenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Absenter – 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 absenter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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