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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affirmer

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The English translation of the French verb affirmer is “to affirm” or “to assert.” It is pronounced as “ah-feer-may.”

The language origin of affirmer comes from the Latin verb “affirmare” which means “to make firm” or “to strengthen.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express an action that has already taken place but is uncertain or hypothetical.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies affirmé ta position plus tôt. (I would have liked it if you had affirmed your position earlier.)

  2. Il est possible qu’ils aient affirmé leur innocence devant le juge. (It is possible that they affirmed their innocence in front of the judge.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous ayez affirmé votre engagement à la cause. (We would have preferred if you had affirmed your commitment to the cause.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie affirmé Je suis content que j’aie affirmé. I am glad that I affirmed.
tu aies affirmé Il est nécessaire que tu aies affirmé. It is necessary for you to have affirmed.
il ait affirmé Il est possible que il ait affirmé. It’s possible he affirmed.
elle ait affirmé Elle doute qu’elle ait affirmé. She doubts she affirmed.
on ait affirmé On souhaite qu’on ait affirmé. We hope we affirmed.
nous ayons affirmé Nous sommes heureux que nous ayons affirmé. We are happy that we affirmed.
vous ayez affirmé Il est important que vous ayez affirmé. It is important that you affirmed.
ils aient affirmé Ils sont sûrs qu’ils aient affirmé. They are sure they affirmed.
elles aient affirmé Elles ont peur qu’elles aient affirmé. They are afraid they affirmed.

Other Conjugations for Affirmer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affirmer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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