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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calfater

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The English translation of the French verb calfater is “to caulk.” The infinitive form, calfater, is pronounced “kal-fah-tay.”

Calfater comes from the Old French word “calefater,” which itself comes from the Latin word “calafactare,” meaning “to stop up with lime.” It is most often used in the context of boat building and maintenance, as caulking is the process of sealing gaps and seams in a boat to make it watertight.

In everyday French, calfater is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already happened. Here are three examples:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie calfater le bateau hier soir. (It’s possible that I caulked the boat last night.)
  2. Je doute qu’il ait calfater les fenêtres avant la tempête. (I doubt that he caulked the windows before the storm.)
  3. Il fallait que nous ayons calfater le navire avant de partir en mer. (We had to caulk the ship before setting sail.)

English translations:

  1. It’s possible that I caulked the boat last night.
  2. I doubt that he caulked the windows before the storm.
  3. We had to caulk the ship before setting sail.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie calfaté Il faut que j’aie calfaté le navire. I must have caulked the ship.
tu aies calfaté Il est important que tu aies calfaté le bateau. It’s important that you caulked the boat.
il ait calfaté Il est nécessaire qu’il ait calfaté la coque. It’s necessary that he caulked the hull.
elle ait calfaté Elle veut qu’elle ait calfaté la fissure. She wants to have caulked the crack.
on ait calfaté On exige qu’on ait calfaté toutes les fentes. We demand that all the gaps have been caulked.
nous ayons calfaté Nous souhaitons que nous ayons calfaté le pont. We hope we caulked the deck.
vous ayez calfaté Il est possible que vous ayez calfaté le bois. It’s possible that you caulked the wood.
ils aient calfaté Ils insistent qu’ils aient calfaté le mur. They insist that they caulked the wall.
elles aient calfaté Elles ont peur qu’elles aient calfaté le sol. They are afraid that they caulked the floor.

Other Conjugations for Calfater.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfater
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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