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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bifurquer

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The English translation of the French verb bifurquer is “to bifurcate” or “to split into two.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bee-fur-kay.”

The word bifurquer comes from the Latin word bifurcare, meaning “to fork.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is most often used in everyday language to describe a physical splitting or dividing into two paths or directions.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already taken place, bifurquer can be used in the following ways:

  1. Il est possible que la rivière se soit bifurquée à cet endroit. (It’s possible that the river bifurcated at this point.)

  2. J’aurais préféré que le chemin bifurque vers la droite plutôt que vers la gauche. (I would have preferred the path to bifurcate to the right rather than to the left.)

  3. Ils étaient inquiets que la route qu’ils avaient choisie se soit bifurquée vers un endroit dangereux. (They were worried that the road they had chosen bifurcated towards a dangerous place.)

English translations:

  1. It’s possible that the river split in two at this point.
  2. I would have preferred the path to split to the right rather than to the left.
  3. They were worried that the road they had chosen split towards a dangerous place.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Bifurquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bifurquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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