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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assiéger

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The English translation of the French verb assiéger is “to besiege.” It is pronounced as ah-see-eh-zhay.

The language origin of assiéger can be traced back to the Latin word “obsidere,” which means “to blockade.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

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

  1. Il faut que nous ayons assiégé la ville avant qu’ils arrivent. (It is necessary that we had besieged the city before they arrive.)

  2. Je doute qu’il ait assiégé le château lui-même. (I doubt that he had besieged the castle himself.)

  3. J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent assiégé la forteresse plus tôt. (I would have liked them to have besieged the fortress earlier.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie assiégé Je crains que je n’aie assiégé le château. I fear that I besieged the castle.
tu aies assiégé Il faut que tu aies assiégé la ville. You must have besieged the city.
il ait assiégé Il est possible qu’il ait assiégé le fort. It’s possible he besieged the fort.
elle ait assiégé Elle est contente qu’elle ait assiégé la place. She is glad she besieged the place.
on ait assiégé On n’aime pas qu’on ait assiégé le château. We don’t like it being besieged the castle.
nous ayons assiégé Espérons que nous ayons assiégé la ville. Let’s hope we besieged the city.
vous ayez assiégé Il faut que vous ayez assiégé le fort. You must have besieged the fort.
ils aient assiégé Ils veulent qu’ils aient assiégé la place. They want to have besieged the place.
elles aient assiégé Elles sont contentes qu’elles aient assiégé le château. They are glad they besieged the castle.

Other Conjugations for Assiéger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assiéger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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