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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chiffonner

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The English translation of the French verb chiffonner is “to wrinkle” or “to crumple.” It is pronounced as “shee-foh-nay.”

Chiffonner comes from the Old French word “chifon” meaning “rag” or “cloth.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of creasing or crumpling fabric, paper, or any other material.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, chiffonner is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive present form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of chiffonner.

Examples:

  1. Il fallait que je m’habille rapidement et j’ai chiffonné ma chemise en me dépêchant. (I had to get dressed quickly and I wrinkled my shirt in a hurry.)
  2. J’aurais préféré que tu ne chiffonnes pas mes dessins en les rangeant. (I would have preferred if you didn’t crumple my drawings while putting them away.)
  3. Avant de partir, elle avait peur que ses vêtements se chiffonnent dans sa valise. (Before leaving, she was afraid that her clothes would get wrinkled in her suitcase.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie chiffonné Je doute que j’aie chiffonné mes vêtements. I doubt that I wrinkled my clothes.
tu aies chiffonné Il faut que tu aies chiffonné le papier. You must have crumpled the paper.
il ait chiffonné Il est possible qu’il ait chiffonné la nappe. It’s possible he crumpled the tablecloth.
elle ait chiffonné Elle craint qu’elle ait chiffonné ses notes. She fears she crumpled her notes.
on ait chiffonné On veut qu’on ait chiffonné les feuilles. We want it to have been crumpled.
nous ayons chiffonné Espérons que nous ayons chiffonné les magazines. Let’s hope we crumpled the magazines.
vous ayez chiffonné Il est important que vous ayez chiffonné les documents. It’s important that you crumpled the documents.
ils aient chiffonné Ils doutent qu’ils aient chiffonné le papier cadeau. They doubt they crumpled the wrapping paper.
elles aient chiffonné Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient chiffonné leurs chemises. They prefer they crumpled their shirts.

Other Conjugations for Chiffonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chiffonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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