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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chômer

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The English translation of the French verb chômer is “to be unemployed” or “to be on strike.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “sho-may.”

The word chômer comes from the Latin word “cumulare” which means “to accumulate” or “to gather.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and was originally used to refer to a day of rest or holiday. Over time, it evolved to also mean “to be without work” or “to be idle.”

In everyday French, chômer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that has already occurred in the past. It is often used in formal or legal contexts.

Examples:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie chômé pendant un mois avant de trouver un nouvel emploi. (It is possible that I was unemployed for a month before finding a new job.)
  2. Le syndicat a exigé que les travailleurs aient chômé pendant trois jours pour protester contre les nouvelles réformes. (The union demanded that workers go on strike for three days to protest against the new reforms.)
  3. Nous aurions dû être payés pendant la période où nous avons chômé à cause de la grève. (We should have been paid for the period when we were on strike.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Chômer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chômer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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