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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb citer

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The English translation of the French verb citer is “to quote” or “to mention.” It is pronounced “see-tay.”

The word citer comes from the Latin word “citare,” meaning “to rouse, call, summon.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past.

Examples of citer in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il faut que tu aies cité tes sources dans ton rapport. (You needed to have cited your sources in your report.)
  2. Je ne savais pas que tu aies cité ce livre dans ton discours. (I didn’t know that you had quoted that book in your speech.)
  3. Il est possible qu’elle ait cité ton nom lors de la réunion. (It is possible that she mentioned your name during the meeting.)

English translations:

  1. You needed to have cited your sources in your report.
  2. I didn’t know that you had quoted that book in your speech.
  3. It is possible that she mentioned your name during the meeting.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cité Je suis content que j’aie cité ce livre. I’m glad I mentioned this book.
tu aies cité Il est important que tu aies cité tes sources. It’s important that you cited your sources.
il ait cité Il est possible qu’il ait cité le poème. It’s possible he quoted the poem.
elle ait cité Je crains qu’elle ait cité le mauvais document. I’m afraid she cited the wrong document.
on ait cité On veut qu’on ait cité les faits. We want the facts to have been cited.
nous ayons cité Nous sommes heureux que nous ayons cité la source. We’re happy we cited the source.
vous ayez cité Je suis contente que vous ayez cité le livre. I’m glad you mentioned the book.
ils aient cité Ils sont surpris qu’ils aient cité le nom. They are surprised they mentioned the name.
elles aient cité Elles espèrent qu’elles aient cité le bon article. They hope they cited the right article.

Other Conjugations for Citer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb citer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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