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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chantonner

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The English translation of the French verb chantonner is “to hum.”
It is pronounced “shan-ton-nay.”

The origin of the word chantonner comes from the Old French word “chanton,” meaning “little song,” and the suffix “-er,” which is used to form verbs. It is derived from the Latin word “cantare,” meaning “to sing.”

In everyday French, chantonner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is a past subjunctive form used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense with their English translations:

  1. Je doute qu’il ait chantonner cette chanson hier soir. (I doubt he hummed this song last night.)
  2. Il est possible que nous ayons chantonner ensemble lors de la soirée. (It’s possible that we hummed together during the party.)
  3. J’aurais aimé qu’elle n’ait pas chantonner pendant le concert. (I wish she hadn’t hummed during the concert.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Chantonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chantonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chantonner – 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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