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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb babiller

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The English translation of the French verb babiller is “to babble” or “to chatter”. It is pronounced “bah-bee-yeh”.

The word babiller comes from the Latin word “babulus”, meaning “stutterer” or “stammerer”. It was first recorded in French in the 12th century and has been used in everyday French since then.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, babiller is used to express an action or behavior that may have taken place in the past, but the speaker is uncertain or skeptical about it. It is often used in a sarcastic or mocking tone.

Example 1: J’ai trouvé qu’elle babille tellement au téléphone. (I found her babbling so much on the phone.)

Example 2: Je ne crois pas qu’il ait été sérieux, il a sûrement encore babillé. (I don’t believe he was serious, he probably just babbled again.)

Example 3: Il ne veut pas admettre qu’il ait babillé toute la nuit avec ses amis. (He doesn’t want to admit that he babbled all night with his friends.)

English translations:

  1. She talked non-stop on the phone.
  2. I doubt he was serious, he probably just rambled on.
  3. He doesn’t want to admit that he chattered all night with his friends.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie babilé Je suis surprise que j’aie babilé. I’m surprised that I babbled.
tu aies babilé Il serait mieux que tu aies babilé. It would be better if you babbled.
il ait babilé Il est important qu’il ait babilé. It’s important that he babbled.
elle ait babilé Elle doute qu’elle ait babilé. She doubts she babbled.
on ait babilé Il est possible qu’on ait babilé. It’s possible we babbled.
nous ayons babilé J’espère que nous ayons babilé. I hope we babbled.
vous ayez babilé Il faut que vous ayez babilé. You must have babbled.
ils aient babilé Ils préfèrent qu’ils aient babilé. They prefer they babbled.
elles aient babilé Elles craignent qu’elles aient babilé. They fear they babbled.

Other Conjugations for Babiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb babiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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