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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb caresser

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The English translation of the French verb caresser is “to caress.” It is pronounced as “kah-ruh-seh.”

Caresser comes from the Latin word “carus,” meaning “dear” or “beloved.” In everyday French, it is most often used to express physical affection towards someone or something.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, caresser is used to express a wish, desire, or possibility in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the subjonctif présent tense followed by the past participle of caresser.

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

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies caressé hier soir. (I would have liked for you to have caressed me last night.)
  2. Il est possible qu’elle ait caressé le chat pendant que je dormais. (It is possible that she caressed the cat while I was sleeping.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous ayez caressé le chien avant de partir. (We would have preferred for you to have caressed the dog before leaving.)

In each of these examples, caresser is used to express a past desire or possibility in a hypothetical or uncertain manner.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie caressé Il est possible que j’aie caressé. It’s possible that I caressed.
tu aies caressé Tu ne crois pas que tu aies caressé. Don’t you believe you caressed?
il ait caressé Il est important qu’il ait caressé. It’s important that he caressed.
elle ait caressé Elle souhaite qu’elle ait caressé. She wishes she had caressed.
on ait caressé On préfère qu’on ait caressé. We prefer to have caressed.
nous ayons caressé Il est possible que nous ayons caressé. It’s possible we caressed.
vous ayez caressé Il est peu probable que vous ayez caressé. It’s unlikely you caressed.
ils aient caressé Ils sont heureux que leurs amis aient caressé. They are happy that their friends caressed.
elles aient caressé Elles doutent que leurs enfants aient caressé. They doubt their children caressed.

Other Conjugations for Caresser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb caresser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Caresser – 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.

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