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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb armer

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The English translation of the French verb armer is “to arm.” It is pronounced “ahr-may.”

The word armer comes from the Old French verb “armier,” which means “to arm, equip, or fortify.” It ultimately originates from the Latin word “arma,” meaning “arms” or “weapons.” In everyday French, armer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Here are three examples of armer in the Subjonctif Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies armé les soldats avant la bataille. (I would have liked for you to have armed the soldiers before the battle.)
  2. Il est possible qu’ils aient armé leur bateau avant de partir en mer. (It’s possible that they armed their boat before leaving for the sea.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que les agents de sécurité aient armé leurs armes avant l’attaque. (We would have preferred for the security agents to have armed their weapons before the attack.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie armé Je ne pense pas que j’aie armé. I don’t think I armed.
tu aies armé Il veut que tu aies armé. He wants you to have armed.
il ait armé Il est possible qu’il ait armé. It’s possible he armed.
elle ait armé Elle ne croit pas qu’elle ait armé. She doesn’t believe she armed.
on ait armé On espère qu’on ait armé. We hope we armed.
nous ayons armé Nous sommes heureux que nous ayons armé. We’re happy we armed.
vous ayez armé Il est important que vous ayez armé. It’s important that you armed.
ils aient armé Ils sont convaincus qu’ils aient armé. They are convinced they armed.
elles aient armé Elles ont besoin qu’elles aient armé. They need to have armed.

Other Conjugations for Armer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb armer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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