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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bouffonner

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The English translation of the French verb bouffonner is “to clown around” or “to act foolishly.” It is pronounced “boo-fawn-ay.”

The language origin of bouffonner can be traced back to the French word “bouffon,” which means “jester” or “buffoon.” It is most often used in informal or colloquial French to describe someone who is acting silly or clownish. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it is used to express a past action or behavior that is deemed foolish or ridiculous.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il faut que tu aies arrêté de bouffonner en classe. (It’s necessary that you stopped clowning around in class.)

  2. Je regrette que nous ayons bouffonné hier soir. (I regret that we acted foolishly last night.)

  3. Il est dommage qu’ils aient bouffonné pendant la réunion. (It’s a shame that they were clowning around during the meeting.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie bouffonné Je ne pense pas que j’aie bouffonné. I don’t think I joked.
tu aies bouffonné Il faut que tu aies bouffonné. You must have joked.
il ait bouffonné Il est possible qu’il ait bouffonné. It’s possible he joked.
elle ait bouffonné Elle craint qu’elle ait bouffonné. She fears she joked.
on ait bouffonné On veut qu’on ait bouffonné. We want it to have been joked.
nous ayons bouffonné Espérons que nous ayons bouffonné. Let’s hope we joked.
vous ayez bouffonné Il est important que vous ayez bouffonné. It’s important that you joked.
ils aient bouffonné Ils doutent qu’ils aient bouffonné. They doubt they joked.
elles aient bouffonné Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient bouffonné. They prefer they joked.

Other Conjugations for Bouffonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bouffonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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