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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affermer

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The English translation of the French verb affermer is “to affirm” or “to confirm.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ah-fehr-may.”

The word “affermer” comes from the Latin verb “affirmare,” meaning “to make firm or steadfast.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a possibility or uncertainty in the past.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Il est possible que je l’aie affermi lors de notre discussion. (It is possible that I affirmed it during our discussion.)

  2. Je suis contente que vous ayez affermi votre décision. (I am glad that you confirmed your decision.)

  3. Il est probable qu’elle ait affermi ses croyances après avoir étudié la question. (It is likely that she affirmed her beliefs after studying the issue.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie affermi Pour que j’aie affermi l’affaire. So that I have confirmed the matter.
tu aies affermi Il faut que tu aies affermi ta position. You must have confirmed your position.
il ait affermi Il est possible qu’il ait affermi ses propos. It’s possible he confirmed his words.
elle ait affermi Elle craint qu’elle ait affermi sa décision. She fears she confirmed her decision.
on ait affermi On veut qu’on ait affermi son autorité. We want it to have confirmed its authority.
nous ayons affermi Espérons que nous ayons affermi notre relation. Let’s hope we confirmed our relationship.
vous ayez affermi Il est important que vous ayez affermi vos arguments. It’s important that you confirmed your arguments.
ils aient affermi Ils doutent qu’ils aient affermi leur position. They doubt they confirmed their position.
elles aient affermi Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient affermi leur alliance. They prefer they confirmed their alliance.

Other Conjugations for Affermer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affermer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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