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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb benner

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The English translation of the French verb “benner” is “to bend” or “to flex.” It is pronounced as “ben-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word “benner” comes from the Old French word “benner” which means “to bend” or “to twist.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’espère que tu aies bien benné tes genoux en faisant du sport. (I hope you properly bent your knees while playing sports.)
  2. Il est possible qu’il ait benner sa jambe en tombant. (It’s possible that he may have bent his leg while falling.)
  3. Nous aurions mieux fait de ne pas benner la règle. (We would have been better off not bending the rule.)

English translations:

  1. I hope you properly bent your knees while playing sports.
  2. It’s possible that he may have bent his leg while falling.
  3. We would have been better off not bending the rule.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Benner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb benner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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