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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calotter

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The English translation of the French verb calotter is “to cap” or “to put a cap on.” It is pronounced “kah-luh-tay” in its infinitive form.

The word calotter comes from the Old French word “calote,” meaning “cap.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “calotte,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, calotter is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express actions that may have happened in the past but are uncertain or hypothetical.

Here are three simple examples of calotter used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il aurait fallu que je te calottasse avant que tu sortes. (I should have capped you before you left.)
  2. Je doute que les enfants se soient calottés avant d’aller à l’école. (I doubt the kids put their caps on before going to school.)
  3. Il est possible que le vent ait calotté les vagues hier. (It’s possible that the wind capped the waves yesterday.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie calotté Il est possible que j’aie calotté. It’s possible that I capped.
tu aies calotté Je conseille que tu aies calotté. I advise you capped.
il ait calotté Il faut qu’il ait calotté. He must have capped.
elle ait calotté Elle dit qu’elle ait calotté. She says she capped.
on ait calotté On veut qu’on ait calotté. We want it capped.
nous ayons calotté Nous suggérons que nous ayons calotté. We suggest we capped.
vous ayez calotté Il serait préférable que vous ayez calotté. It would be preferable that you capped.
ils aient calotté Ils souhaitent qu’ils aient calotté. They wish they capped.
elles aient calotté Elles regrettent qu’elles aient calotté. They regret they capped.

Other Conjugations for Calotter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calotter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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