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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cliver

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The French verb cliver comes from the Latin word “clivus,” meaning “slope” or “inclined plane.” Its infinitive form is pronounced “klee-vay.”

In everyday French, cliver is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a past hypothetical or uncertain action or situation. It is often used with conjunctions like “si” (if) or “bien que” (although).

Here are three examples of cliver in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu clives le bois pour le feu. (I would have liked for you to split the wood for the fire.)

  2. Si j’avais su, j’aurais clivé la conversation tout de suite. (If I had known, I would have cut the conversation short right away.)

  3. Il est possible qu’elle ait clivé ses cheveux pour un changement de look. (It’s possible that she split her hair for a change of look.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie clivé Je veux que j’aie clivé. I want to have split.
tu aies clivé Il est nécessaire que tu aies clivé. It’s necessary that you split.
il ait clivé Il est improbable qu’il ait clivé. It’s unlikely he split.
elle ait clivé Elle espère qu’elle ait clivé. She hopes she split.
on ait clivé On suggère qu’on ait clivé. It’s suggested that we split.
nous ayons clivé Nous sommes contents que nous ayons clivé. We are glad we split.
vous ayez clivé Il est recommandé que vous ayez clivé. It’s recommended that you split.
ils aient clivé Ils pensent qu’ils aient clivé. They think they split.
elles aient clivé Elles sont sûres qu’elles aient clivé. They are sure they split.

Other Conjugations for Cliver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cliver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cliver – 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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