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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cirer

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The English translation of the French verb cirer is “to polish” or “to wax.” The infinitive form of cirer is pronounced “see-ray.”

Cirer comes from the Latin word “cera,” which means “wax.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a hypothetical action or a desire that is no longer possible in the past.

Here are three examples of cirer used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies ciré tes chaussures avant la soirée. (I wish you had polished your shoes before the party.)
  2. Il est possible que nous ayons ciré la table trop tôt. (It’s possible that we polished the table too early.)
  3. Je doute qu’elle ait ciré ses meubles hier. (I doubt that she waxed her furniture yesterday.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie ciré J’espère que j’aie ciré. I hope I waxed.
tu aies ciré Tu veux que tu aies ciré. You want yourself to have waxed.
il ait ciré Il est possible qu’il ait ciré. It’s possible he waxed.
elle ait ciré Elle croit qu’elle ait ciré. She believes she waxed.
on ait ciré On veut qu’on ait ciré. We want it to have been waxed.
nous ayons ciré Il est préférable que nous ayons ciré. It’s preferable that we waxed.
vous ayez ciré Il est important que vous ayez ciré. It’s important that you waxed.
ils aient ciré Ils sont sûrs qu’ils aient ciré. They are sure they waxed.
elles aient ciré Elles espèrent qu’elles aient ciré. They hope they waxed.

Other Conjugations for Cirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cirer – 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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