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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cacher

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The English translation of the French verb cacher is “to hide.” It is pronounced as “kah-shey.”

The origin of cacher can be traced back to the Latin word “coactare,” meaning “to conceal.” In modern day French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Three simple examples of cacher in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu aies caché le cadeau avant qu’il ne le voie. (I would have preferred that you had hidden the gift before he saw it.)
  2. Il est possible qu’elle ait caché de l’argent dans le tiroir. (It is possible that she hid some money in the drawer.)
  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous n’ayez pas caché la vérité. (We would have liked that you hadn’t hidden the truth.)

In each of these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used to express a past action that may or may not have happened. The verb cacher in this tense conveys the idea that something was hidden, but it is not certain whether it actually was.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Cacher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cacher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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