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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb boursoufler

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The English translation of the French verb boursoufler is “to puff up, to swell up.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “boor-soo-fleh.”

The word boursoufler comes from the Old French word “bours” meaning “purse” or “bag,” and “souffler” meaning “to blow.” It originated in the 13th century and has evolved to mean “to swell or inflate like a bag.”

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

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

  1. Il est possible que sa fierté se soit boursouflée après avoir gagné le concours. (It is possible that his pride puffed up after winning the competition.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu ne te sois pas boursouflé la joue avec une piqûre d’insecte. (I wish you had not swollen your cheek from an insect bite.)
  3. Elle doute qu’il se soit boursouflé le visage avec des produits de beauté. (She doubts that he puffed up his face with beauty products.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie boursouflé Je ne crois pas que j’aie boursouflé. I don’t think I puffed up.
tu aies boursouflé Il ne veut pas que tu aies boursouflé. He doesn’t want you to have puffed up.
il ait boursouflé Il semble qu’il ait boursouflé. It seems he puffed up.
elle ait boursouflé Elle craint qu’elle ait boursouflé. She fears she puffed up.
on ait boursouflé On espère qu’on ait boursouflé. We hope we puffed up.
nous ayons boursouflé Nous aimerions que nous ayons boursouflé. We would like to have puffed up.
vous ayez boursouflé Il est possible que vous ayez boursouflé. It’s possible you puffed up.
ils aient boursouflé Ils doutent qu’ils aient boursouflé. They doubt they puffed up.
elles aient boursouflé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient boursouflé. They prefer they puffed up.

Other Conjugations for Boursoufler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb boursoufler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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