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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chaîner

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The English translation of the French verb chaîner is “to chain” or “to link.” It is pronounced “sheh-yeen-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word “chaîner” comes from the Latin word “catena,” meaning “chain.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is most often used in its literal sense to describe physically linking or chaining objects together. However, it can also be used figuratively to mean connecting or linking ideas or actions.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, chaîner is conjugated as follows:

  • Je aie chaîné (I have chained)
  • Tu aies chaîné (You have chained)
  • Il/Elle ait chaîné (He/She has chained)
  • Nous ayons chaîné (We have chained)
  • Vous ayez chaîné (You have chained)
  • Ils/Elles aient chaîné (They have chained)

Example sentences in Subjonctif Passé with English translations:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie chaîné les vélos pour qu’ils ne soient pas volés. (It’s possible that I chained the bikes so they wouldn’t be stolen.)

  2. J’aimerais que tu aies chaîné les informations pour une présentation claire. (I would like you to have linked the information for a clear presentation.)

  3. Il faut que nous ayons chaîné tous les documents avant la réunion. (We must have linked all the documents before the meeting.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie chaîné Je doute que j’aie chaîné. I doubt that I chained.
tu aies chaîné Il faut que tu aies chaîné. You must have chained.
il ait chaîné Il est possible qu’il ait chaîné. It’s possible he chained.
elle ait chaîné Elle craint qu’elle ait chaîné. She fears she chained.
on ait chaîné On veut qu’on ait chaîné. We want it to have been chained.
nous ayons chaîné Espérons que nous ayons chaîné. Let’s hope we chained.
vous ayez chaîné Il est important que vous ayez chaîné. It’s important that you chained.
ils aient chaîné Ils doutent qu’ils aient chaîné. They doubt they chained.
elles aient chaîné Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient chaîné. They prefer they chained.

Other Conjugations for Chaîner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chaîner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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