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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clignoter

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The English translation of the French verb clignoter is “to blink” or “to flash.” It is pronounced “klee-nyoh-teh” in its infinitive form.

Clignoter comes from the Old French word “clignoter” which meant “to sparkle” or “to twinkle.” It originated from the Latin word “clinare” meaning “to incline” or “to lean.” In everyday French, clignoter is most often used to describe a light that flickers or flashes, such as a flashing turn signal on a car or the blinking light on a phone.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, clignoter is used to express a hypothetical or desired action that took place in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Subjonctif Présent tense followed by the past participle “clignoté.”

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

  1. Il fallait que les feux du véhicule clignotent pour indiquer un virage à gauche. (It was necessary for the vehicle’s lights to blink to indicate a left turn.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que les étoiles clignotent dans le ciel cette nuit-là. (I would have liked for the stars to twinkle in the sky that night.)
  3. Il était important que les lumières du théâtre clignotent au bon moment pendant la pièce. (It was important for the theater lights to flash at the right moment during the play.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie clignoté Il est possible que j’aie clignoté. It’s possible that I blinked.
tu aies clignoté Tu préfères que tu aies clignoté. You prefer that you blinked.
il ait clignoté Il vaut mieux qu’il ait clignoté. It’s better that he blinked.
elle ait clignoté Elle est contente qu’elle ait clignoté. She’s happy she blinked.
on ait clignoté On voudrait qu’on ait clignoté. We would like to have blinked.
nous ayons clignoté Nous voulons que nous ayons clignoté. We want to have blinked.
vous ayez clignoté Il est important que vous ayez clignoté. It’s important that you blinked.
ils aient clignoté Ils sont surpris qu’ils aient clignoté. They’re surprised they blinked.
elles aient clignoté Elles doutent qu’elles aient clignoté. They doubt they blinked.

Other Conjugations for Clignoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clignoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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