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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouffer

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The English translation of the French verb bouffer is “to devour” or “to gobble up.” The infinitive form of bouffer is pronounced as “boo-fay.”

Bouffer comes from the Old French word “boffer” which means “to puff” or “to blow.” It is most often used in informal or colloquial French, especially in the Subjonctif Passé tense, to express a strong or exaggerated action or emotion.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

1) J’espère que tu as bouffé ton dîner avant de sortir. (I hope you devoured your dinner before going out.)
2) Il faut que j’aie bouffé un kilo de chocolat hier soir. (I must have gobbled up a kilo of chocolate last night.)
3) Nous attendons que les enfants aient bouffé leur soupe avant de leur donner du dessert. (We’re waiting for the children to have finished their soup before giving them dessert.)

Overall, bouffer is often used in everyday French to describe the act of eating quickly and voraciously or to add emphasis to an action. It is not considered a formal verb and is more commonly used in spoken language rather than in written form.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie bouffé Il est improbable que j’aie bouffé. It’s unlikely that I ate.
tu aies bouffé Je suis sûr que tu aies bouffé. I’m sure you ate.
il ait bouffé Il est certain qu’il ait bouffé. It’s certain that he ate.
elle ait bouffé Elle est contente qu’elle ait bouffé. She is happy that she ate.
on ait bouffé On espère qu’on ait bouffé. We hope we ate.
nous ayons bouffé Nous sommes satisfaits que nous ayons bouffé. We are satisfied that we ate.
vous ayez bouffé Vous êtes déterminés que vous ayez bouffé. You are determined that you ate.
ils aient bouffé Ils sont convaincus qu’ils aient bouffé. They are convinced that they ate.
elles aient bouffé Elles craignent qu’elles aient bouffé. They fear they ate.

Other Conjugations for Bouffer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouffer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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