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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb célébrer

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The English translation of the French verb célébrer is “to celebrate.” It is pronounced as “seh-lay-bray.”

Célébrer comes from the Latin word “celebrare,” meaning “to honor” or “to solemnize.” It entered French through the Old French word “celebrer” in the 12th century.

In everyday French, célébrer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past event or action that is uncertain, hypothetical, or based on a condition. It is often used to express wishes, hopes, or regrets.

Here are three simple examples of célébrer in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies célébré mon anniversaire avec moi. (I wish you had celebrated my birthday with me.)
  2. Il était essentiel que nous ayons célébré la victoire de l’équipe. (It was essential that we celebrated the team’s victory.)
  3. Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas célébré notre anniversaire de mariage. (I regret that you didn’t celebrate our wedding anniversary.)

English translations:

  1. I wish you had celebrated my birthday with me.
  2. It was essential that we celebrated the team’s victory.
  3. I regret that you didn’t celebrate our wedding anniversary.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie célébré Je suis content que j’aie célébré. I am glad that I celebrated.
tu aies célébré Il est possible que tu aies célébré. It’s possible you celebrated.
il ait célébré Il est important qu’il ait célébré. It’s important he celebrated.
elle ait célébré Elle est contente qu’elle ait célébré. She is happy she celebrated.
on ait célébré On ne croit pas qu’on ait célébré. We don’t believe we celebrated.
nous ayons célébré Espérons que nous ayons célébré. Let’s hope we celebrated.
vous ayez célébré Il faut que vous ayez célébré. You must have celebrated.
ils aient célébré Ils doutent qu’ils aient célébré. They doubt they celebrated.
elles aient célébré Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient célébré. They prefer they celebrated.

Other Conjugations for Célébrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb célébrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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