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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clôturer

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The English translation of the French verb clôturer is “to close” or “to fence off.” It is pronounced as “klo-ter-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word clôturer comes from the Latin word “claudere,” meaning “to close” or “to shut.” It was first introduced into French in the 12th century.

In everyday French, clôturer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical. This tense is formed by using the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of clôturer used in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il est possible que nous ayons clôturé notre compte bancaire. (It is possible that we closed our bank account.)
  2. Je doute qu’elle ait clôturé la vente de la maison. (I doubt that she closed the sale of the house.)
  3. Il faut que nous ayons clôturé les inscriptions avant demain. (We have to have closed the registrations before tomorrow.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Passé is used to express uncertainty or doubt about a past action. The verb clôturer is conjugated in the third person plural (nous) form, as it follows the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être.” The past participle, “clôturé,” remains the same in all three sentences.

Overall, clôturer is a common verb in French that is used in everyday language to talk about closing or fencing off something. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it is used to express past actions that are uncertain or hypothetical.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Clôturer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clôturer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Clôturer – 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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