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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb aider

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The English translation of the French verb aider is “to help.” It is pronounced as “eh-dee-eh,” with the stress on the first syllable.

The origin of the verb aider can be traced back to the Latin verb adiutare, meaning “to help.” It has been used in French since the 12th century, with the same meaning it has today.

In everyday French, the verb aider is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical situation in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Three simple examples of aider in the Subjonctif Passé tense with their English translations are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies aidé. (I would have liked if you had helped me.)
  2. Il est dommage qu’elle ne nous ait pas aidés. (It’s a shame she didn’t help us.)
  3. Je suis content que vous l’ayez aidée. (I am glad that you helped her.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie aidé Il est possible que j’aie aidé. It’s possible that I helped.
tu aies aidé Tu préfères que tu aies aidé. You prefer that you helped.
il ait aidé Il est important qu’il ait aidé. It’s important that he helped.
elle ait aidé Elle aimerait qu’elle ait aidé. She would like that she helped.
on ait aidé On exige qu’on ait aidé. We demand that we helped.
nous ayons aidé Nous sommes contents que nous ayons aidé. We are glad we helped.
vous ayez aidé Vous espérez que vous ayez aidé. You hope that you helped.
ils aient aidé Ils veulent qu’ils aient aidé. They want that they helped.
elles aient aidé Elles sont heureuses qu’elles aient aidé. They are happy they helped.

Other Conjugations for Aider.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb aider
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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