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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alléger

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The English translation of the French verb alléger is “to lighten” or “to ease”. It is pronounced as “ah-leh-zheh” in its infinitive form.

The word alléger comes from the Latin word “levigare” which means “to smooth” or “to lighten”. In everyday French, it is most often used to describe the action of making something less heavy or burdensome.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, alléger is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action 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 alléger.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies allégé tes valises avant de partir en vacances. (I wish you had lightened your suitcases before leaving for vacation.)

  2. Il faut que nous soyons allégés de nos dettes pour pouvoir acheter une maison. (We need to be relieved from our debts in order to buy a house.)

  3. Elle était triste que nous ayons allégé notre relation. (She was sad that we had lightened our relationship.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie allégé Il est possible que j’aie allégé mes valises. It’s possible I lightened my suitcases.
tu aies allégé Tu préférerais que tu aies allégé ta charge de travail. You would prefer to have lightened your workload.
il ait allégé Il a peur qu’il ait allégé ses responsabilités. He’s afraid he lightened his responsibilities.
elle ait allégé Elle souhaite qu’elle ait allégé sa dette. She wishes she had lightened her debt.
on ait allégé On espère qu’on ait allégé la douleur de ses blessures. We hope we lightened the pain of his injuries.
nous ayons allégé Nous sommes heureux que nous ayons allégé le fardeau. We are happy that we lightened the burden.
vous ayez allégé Vous avez besoin que vous ayez allégé votre consommation de sucre. You need to have lightened your sugar intake.
ils aient allégé Ils ne croient pas qu’ils aient allégé leurs règles. They don’t believe they lightened their rules.
elles aient allégé Elles veulent qu’elles aient allégé leur charge mentale. They want to have lightened their mental load.

Other Conjugations for Alléger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alléger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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