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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb capituler

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The English translation of the French verb capituler is “to surrender” or “to capitulate.” It is pronounced kah-tee-poo-lay (IPA: /ka.pi.ty.le/).

The word “capituler” comes from the Latin word “capitulum,” meaning “chapter” or “paragraph,” and it originally referred to the act of signing a treaty or agreement by drawing up a list of terms or clauses. In modern French, it is primarily used in a military or political context to describe the act of surrendering or giving in to an opponent. It can also be used in a more general sense to indicate giving up or yielding in any kind of disagreement or conflict.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, “capituler” is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past. It is most often used in conjunction with another verb in the present or past tense to express a desired or necessary outcome. For example:

  1. Il aurait fallu qu’ils capitulent devant nos demandes. (They should have surrendered to our demands.)
  2. Je regrette que nous ayons capitulé si rapidement. (I regret that we surrendered so quickly.)
  3. Il est possible que le président ait capitulé sous la pression. (It’s possible that the president capitulated under pressure.)

In these examples, “capituler” is used with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle “capitulé” to indicate that the surrendering action is uncertain or hypothetical. The use of the Subjonctif Passé tense also adds a sense of subjectivity or doubt to the statement.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie capitulé Il est possible que j’aie capitulé. It’s possible I surrendered.
tu aies capitulé Il faut que tu aies capitulé. You must have surrendered.
il ait capitulé Il est improbable qu’il ait capitulé. It’s unlikely he surrendered.
elle ait capitulé Elle craint qu’elle ait capitulé. She fears she surrendered.
on ait capitulé On exige qu’on ait capitulé. We demand that it have been surrendered.
nous ayons capitulé Je regrette que nous ayons capitulé. I regret that we surrendered.
vous ayez capitulé Il est essentiel que vous ayez capitulé. It’s essential that you surrendered.
ils aient capitulé Ils doutent qu’ils aient capitulé. They doubt they surrendered.
elles aient capitulé Elles nient qu’elles aient capitulé. They deny they surrendered.

Other Conjugations for Capituler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb capituler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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