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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb allaiter

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The English translation of the French verb allaiter is “to breastfeed.” The infinitive form, allaiter, is pronounced “ah-lay-tay.”

The origin of the word allaiter comes from the Latin verb alere, meaning “to nourish or suckle.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used to describe the act of a mother feeding her child milk from her breast since then.

In everyday French, allaiter is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred in the past. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Subjonctif Présent and adding the past participle of allaiter.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies allaité quand j’étais bébé. (I would have liked for you to have breastfed me when I was a baby.)
  2. Il est possible qu’elle ait allaité ses enfants pendant plusieurs mois. (It is possible that she breastfed her children for several months.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous n’ayez pas allaité votre bébé au restaurant. (We would have preferred for you not to have breastfed your baby at the restaurant.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Allaiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb allaiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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