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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bêcher

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The English translation of the French verb bêcher is “to dig”. It is pronounced as “beh-shay”.

The word bêcher comes from the Old French word “bechier”, which means “to thrust or dig with a tool”. It ultimately derives from the Latin word “biscar”, meaning “to cut or prick”. Bêcher is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of digging, either in a literal sense (digging in a garden) or in a figurative sense (digging for information).

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, bêcher is conjugated as “aie bêché” for the first and second person singular, “aies bêché” for the second person plural, “ait bêché” for the third person singular, and “ayons bêché” and “ayez bêché” for the first and second person plural, respectively.

Here are three simple examples of how bêcher is used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie bêché dans le jardin toute la journée. (It is possible that I dug in the garden all day.)

  2. Je suis contente qu’ils aient bêché dans le potager pour moi. (I am happy that they dug in the vegetable garden for me.)

  3. Il faut que nous ayons bêché avant de planter les fleurs. (We have to dig before planting the flowers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie bêché Il est nécessaire que j’aie bêché. It’s necessary that I dug.
tu aies bêché Je veux que tu aies bêché. I want you to have dug.
il ait bêché Il est possible qu’il ait bêché. It’s possible he dug.
elle ait bêché Elle est contente qu’elle ait bêché. She’s happy she dug.
on ait bêché Je crains qu’on ait bêché. I fear we dug.
nous ayons bêché Nous espérons que nous ayons bêché. We hope we dug.
vous ayez bêché Il est important que vous ayez bêché. It’s important that you dug.
ils aient bêché Ils doutent qu’ils aient bêché. They doubt they dug.
elles aient bêché Elles veulent qu’elles aient bêché. They want them to have dug.

Other Conjugations for Bêcher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bêcher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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