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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bistourner

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The English translation of the French verb bistourner is “to turn away” or “to deflect.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bee-stoor-nay.”

The word bistourner comes from the combination of the prefix “bi-” meaning “two” and the verb “tourner” meaning “to turn.” It originated from the Latin word “bisturnum” which referred to a small compass used for drawing circles.

In everyday French, bistourner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past action or event that is uncertain or hypothetical. It is often used in formal or literary contexts.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Il faut que je bistourne la conversation. (It is necessary that I turn the conversation away.)
  2. Elle a suggéré que nous bistournions le sujet de la réunion. (She suggested that we deflect the topic of the meeting.)
  3. Il aurait été préférable que tu bistournes ton regard. (It would have been preferable for you to avert your gaze.)

In these examples, bistourner is used to express the idea of turning away or deflecting something in a past hypothetical or uncertain situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie bistourné Je ne crois pas que j’aie bistourné. I don’t think I turned back.
tu aies bistourné Il est important que tu aies bistourné. It’s important that you turned back.
il ait bistourné Il est possible qu’il ait bistourné. It’s possible he turned back.
elle ait bistourné Elle doute qu’elle ait bistourné. She doubts she turned back.
on ait bistourné On veut qu’on ait bistourné. We want it to have been turned back.
nous ayons bistourné Il faut que nous ayons bistourné. We must have turned back.
vous ayez bistourné Il est préférable que vous ayez bistourné. It’s preferable that you turned back.
ils aient bistourné Ils espèrent qu’ils aient bistourné. They hope they turned back.
elles aient bistourné Elles craignent qu’elles aient bistourné. They fear they turned back.

Other Conjugations for Bistourner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bistourner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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