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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb berner

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of berner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb berner is to deceive, to trick, or to fool. It is pronounced as “ber-nay” in the infinitive form.

The word berner comes from the Old French word “berne,” meaning “trick” or “deception.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express actions or situations that are uncertain or hypothetical in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Il est clair que tu aies été berné par cette fausse promesse. (It is clear that you were deceived by this false promise.)

  2. J’espère que nous ayons été assez prudents pour ne pas être bernés par ce vendeur malhonnête. (I hope we were careful enough not to be fooled by this dishonest salesman.)

  3. Il semble que les personnes âgées aient été souvent bernées par ce stratagème frauduleux. (It seems that elderly people were often tricked by this fraudulent scheme.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Berner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb berner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the berner Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply