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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avouer

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The English translation of the French verb avouer is “to confess” or “to admit”. It is pronounced as “ah-voo-ay”.

The word avouer comes from the Old French term “avouer” which means “to acknowledge” or “to confess”. It is derived from the Latin word “advocare” which means “to call to one’s aid” or “to plead for”.

In everyday French, avouer is most often used in the subjonctif passé tense to express an action that is desired or hoped for in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the subjonctif présent tense followed by the past participle of avouer.

Here are three examples of avouer in the subjonctif passé tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Il faut que j’aie avoué mes erreurs avant qu’il ne soit trop tard.
    (I must have confessed my mistakes before it’s too late.)

  2. Je doute que tu aies avoué la vérité à tes parents.
    (I doubt that you confessed the truth to your parents.)

  3. Il est possible qu’ils aient avoué leur culpabilité à la police.
    (It is possible that they admitted their guilt to the police.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Avouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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