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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alerter

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The English translation of alerter is “to alert” and it is pronounced as “al-er-tay” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of alerter comes from the French word “alerte,” which means “alert.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

Here are 3 simple examples of how alerter is used in the Subjonctif Passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Il fallait que tu m’ailles alerté plus tôt. (It was necessary for you to have alerted me earlier.)
  2. J’aurais préféré que tu aies alerté les autorités. (I would have preferred for you to have alerted the authorities.)
  3. Il aurait fallu que nous ayons alerté les clients sur le rappel de produit. (We should have alerted the customers about the product recall.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used to express a past action that may or may not have happened. In the first example, it is uncertain if the person actually alerted the speaker earlier. In the second and third examples, the action of alerting did not actually happen, but it is being expressed as a hypothetical or desired outcome.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie alerté Je ne pense pas que j’aie alerté. I don’t think I alerted.
tu aies alerté Il est possible que tu aies alerté. It’s possible you alerted.
il ait alerté Il faut qu’il ait alerté. He must have alerted.
elle ait alerté Elle est contente qu’elle ait alerté. She’s happy she alerted.
on ait alerté On veut qu’on ait alerté. We want it to have been alerted.
nous ayons alerté J’espère que nous ayons alerté. I hope we alerted.
vous ayez alerté Il est important que vous ayez alerté. It’s important that you alerted.
ils aient alerté Ils sont surpris qu’ils aient alerté. They are surprised they alerted.
elles aient alerté Elles doutent qu’elles aient alerté. They doubt they alerted.

Other Conjugations for Alerter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alerter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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