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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avancer

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The English translation of the French verb avancer is “to advance” or “to move forward.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced “ah-vahn-ser.”

The word avancer comes from the Old French word “avancier,” which means “to push forward.” It is derived from the Latin word “abante,” which means “in front of” or “before.”

In everyday French, avancer is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action or situation in the past. This tense is formed by using the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verb avoir or être followed by the past participle of avancer.

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

  1. J’espère qu’il a avancé dans son travail. (I hope he has made progress in his work.)
  2. Je doute qu’elle soit avancée dans sa carrière. (I doubt she has advanced in her career.)
  3. Il est possible qu’ils aient avancé l’heure du rendez-vous. (It is possible that they have moved up the meeting time.)

Note that in all of these examples, the action of advancing is uncertain or hypothetical in the past. The use of the Subjonctif Passé tense adds a sense of doubt, possibility, or speculation to the statement.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie avancé Il est possible que j’aie avancé. It’s possible that I advanced.
tu aies avancé Il est important que tu aies avancé. It’s important that you advanced.
il ait avancé Il veut que j’ait avancé. He wants me to have advanced.
elle ait avancé Elle doute qu’elle ait avancé. She doubts that she advanced.
on ait avancé On craint qu’on ait avancé. We fear we advanced.
nous ayons avancé Nous espérons que nous ayons avancé. We hope we advanced.
vous ayez avancé Il est possible que vous ayez avancé. It’s possible that you advanced.
ils aient avancé Ils doutent qu’ils aient avancé. They doubt they advanced.
elles aient avancé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient avancé. They prefer they advanced.

Other Conjugations for Avancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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