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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chavirer

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The English translation of the French verb chavirer is “to capsize” or “to overturn.” The infinitive form is pronounced “sha-vee-rer.”

Chavirer comes from the Old French word “chavir,” meaning “to overturn.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already happened. The Subjonctif Passé tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of chavirer in the Subjonctif Passé tense and their English translations are:

  1. Il fallait que le bateau ait chaviré avant que les secours n’arrivent. (It was necessary for the boat to have capsized before the rescue arrived.)
  2. Je suis contente que tu aies réussi à chavirer cette entreprise. (I am glad that you managed to overturn this company.)
  3. Il est possible qu’elle soit arrivée après que la voiture ait chaviré. (It is possible that she arrived after the car overturned.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Chavirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chavirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chavirer – 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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