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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boucher

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The English translation of the French verb boucher is “to block” or “to plug.” It is pronounced as “boo-shay” in its infinitive form.

The word boucher comes from the Latin word “bulcare,” meaning “to stop up.” It first appeared in Old French in the 12th century and was used to refer to someone who made corks for wine bottles. Over time, the word evolved to also mean “to block” or “to obstruct.”

In everyday French, boucher is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions in the past. It is formed by using the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of boucher.

Examples:

  1. Il est probable que j’aie bouché le lavabo hier soir. (It’s likely that I blocked the sink last night.)
  2. Nous doutons qu’ils aient bouché la rue pour la manifestation. (We doubt that they blocked the street for the protest.)
  3. Il est possible qu’elle soit sortie avant que j’aie bouché la porte. (It’s possible that she left before I plugged the door.)

English translations:

  1. It’s likely that I blocked the sink last night.
  2. We doubt that they blocked the street for the protest.
  3. It’s possible that she left before I plugged the door.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Boucher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boucher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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