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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alterner

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of alterner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb alterner is “to alternate”. It is pronounced “ahl-tehr-nay”.

The word alterner comes from the Latin word “alternare”, meaning “to alternate”. It is derived from the word “alternus”, meaning “every other” or “one after the other”. In everyday French, alterner is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three simple examples of alterner in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies alterné les tâches ménagères avec moi. (I would have liked if you had alternated household chores with me.)
  2. Il aurait fallu qu’ils aient alterné les rôles principaux dans la pièce de théâtre. (It would have been necessary for them to have alternated the lead roles in the play.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous ayez alterné les jours de travail. (We would have preferred if you had alternated work days.)

In each of these examples, the action of alternating is uncertain or hypothetical, as it is expressed in the Subjonctif Passé tense. The verb alterner is conjugated with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in this tense and the past participle “altéré” (or “alterné” in the first person plural form).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Alterner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alterner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the alterner Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply