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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arguer

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The English translation of the French verb arguer is “to argue”. It is pronounced as “ar-gu-ey” with the stress on the second syllable.

The verb arguer comes from the Latin word “arguere”, meaning “to prove, to argue”. It is primarily used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already happened.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense would be:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies argué avec des faits plutôt que des opinions. (I would have liked for you to have argued with facts rather than opinions.)

  2. Il est possible que je vous aie mal argué mes intentions. (It is possible that I may have miscommunicated my intentions to you.)

  3. Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas argué contre cette décision. (I regret that you did not argue against this decision.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie argué Je suis content que j’aie argué. I am glad that I argued.
tu aies argué Je doute que tu aies argué. I doubt that you argued.
il ait argué Il est possible qu’il ait argué. It’s possible he argued.
elle ait argué Elle craint qu’elle ait argué. She fears she argued.
on ait argué On veut qu’on ait argué. We want it to have been argued.
nous ayons argué C’est important que nous ayons argué. It’s important that we argued.
vous ayez argué Il est nécessaire que vous ayez argué. It’s necessary that you argued.
ils aient argué Ils espèrent qu’ils aient argué. They hope they argued.
elles aient argué Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient argué. They prefer they argued.

Other Conjugations for Arguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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