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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb aligner

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The English translation of the French verb aligner is “to align.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ah-lee-neh.”

The word aligner comes from the Latin word “alignare,” which means “to line up.” It entered the French language in the 15th century.

In everyday French, the verb aligner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past hypothetical or uncertain action or event.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu alignes les chaises avant la réunion. (I would have liked for you to align the chairs before the meeting.)
  2. Il est important que nous alignions nos objectifs avant de commencer le projet. (It is important for us to align our goals before starting the project.)
  3. Je doute qu’ils aient aligné leur discours avec leurs actions. (I doubt that they aligned their words with their actions.)

In these examples, the verb aligner is conjugated in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past hypothetical or uncertain action that may or may not have happened. The English translations also use the past tense to convey this uncertainty.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie aligné Je doute que j’aie aligné. I doubt that I aligned.
tu aies aligné Il faut que tu aies aligné. You must have aligned.
il ait aligné Il est possible qu’il ait aligné. It’s possible he aligned.
elle ait aligné Elle craint qu’elle ait aligné. She fears she aligned.
on ait aligné On veut qu’on ait aligné. We want it to have been aligned.
nous ayons aligné Espérons que nous ayons aligné. Let’s hope we aligned.
vous ayez aligné Il est important que vous ayez aligné. It’s important that you aligned.
ils aient aligné Ils doutent qu’ils aient aligné. They doubt they aligned.
elles aient aligné Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient aligné. They prefer they aligned.

Other Conjugations for Aligner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb aligner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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