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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cerner

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The English translation of the French verb cerner is “to surround” or “to encircle.” It is pronounced as “sehr-ney.”

Cerner comes from the Latin word “cernere” meaning “to sift or separate.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already taken place in the past.

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

  1. Il faut que je me sois cerné de personnes de confiance. (I must have surrounded myself with trustworthy people.)

  2. Il est possible qu’il se soit cerné de barrières pour se protéger. (It’s possible that he surrounded himself with barriers to protect himself.)

  3. Je doute qu’elle se soit cernée de bonnes intentions envers moi. (I doubt that she surrounded herself with good intentions towards me.)

English translations:

  1. I must have surrounded myself with trustworthy people.
  2. It’s possible that he surrounded himself with barriers to protect himself.
  3. I doubt that she surrounded herself with good intentions towards me.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cerné J’espère que j’aie cerné. I hope I surrounded.
tu aies cerné Je doute que tu aies cerné. I doubt you surrounded.
il ait cerné Il est important qu’il ait cerné. It’s important he surrounded.
elle ait cerné Elle préfère qu’elle ait cerné. She prefers she surrounded.
on ait cerné On veut qu’on ait cerné. We want it to have been surrounded.
nous ayons cerné Il faut que nous ayons cerné. We must have surrounded.
vous ayez cerné Il est possible que vous ayez cerné. It’s possible you have surrounded.
ils aient cerné Ils doutent qu’ils aient cerné. They doubt they surrounded.
elles aient cerné Elles craignent qu’elles aient cerné. They fear they surrounded.

Other Conjugations for Cerner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cerner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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