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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb agrafer

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The English translation of the French verb agrafer is “to staple.” It is pronounced “ah-grah-fay.”

The word agrafer comes from the Old French word “agrafer,” which meant “to hook.” It ultimately derives from the Latin word “graphe,” meaning “hook.” In French, it is most often used in its infinitive form, “agrafer,” meaning “to staple.”

In everyday French, agrafer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past. This tense is formed by using the present subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the verb. For example: “J’aurais agrafé” or “Je serais agrafé.”

Example 1: Il est possible que j’aie agrafé tous les documents avant de partir. (It is possible that I stapled all the documents before leaving.)

Example 2: Je doute qu’elle se soit agrafer les cheveux pour la soirée. (I doubt she stapled her hair for the party.)

Example 3: Nous cherchions quelqu’un qui eût agraphé les papiers ensemble. (We were looking for someone who had stapled the papers together.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie agrafé Je suis content que j’aie agrafé. I’m glad that I stapled.
tu aies agrafé Il faut que tu aies agrafé. You must have stapled.
il ait agrafé Il est probable qu’il ait agrafé. It’s likely he stapled.
elle ait agrafé Elle doute qu’elle ait agrafé. She doubts she stapled.
on ait agrafé On espère qu’on ait agrafé. We hope we stapled.
nous ayons agrafé Il est important que nous ayons agrafé. It’s important that we stapled.
vous ayez agrafé Nous voulons que vous ayez agrafé. We want you to have stapled.
ils aient agrafé Ils regrettent qu’ils aient agrafé. They regret they stapled.
elles aient agrafé Elles ont peur qu’elles aient agrafé. They are afraid they stapled.

Other Conjugations for Agrafer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb agrafer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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