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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clouer

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The English translation of the French verb clouer is “to nail.” It is pronounced “kloo-ay” in its infinitive form.

Clouer comes from the Old French word “clou,” meaning “nail.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is a compound tense formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Présent and the past participle of the main verb.

Three simple examples of clouer in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. J’espère que tu aies cloué les planches solidement. (I hope that you have nailed the planks securely.)
  2. Il est possible qu’il ait cloué la porte pour qu’elle ne s’ouvre pas. (It’s possible that he nailed the door shut so it wouldn’t open.)
  3. Nous sommes contents que vous ayez cloué les tableaux au mur. (We are happy that you have hung the paintings on the wall.)

In these examples, clouer is used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a desire, possibility, or satisfaction in the past. The Subjonctif Passé tense is typically translated into English as the present perfect, past perfect, or simple past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cloué Il est possible que j’aie cloué. It’s possible I nailed.
tu aies cloué Il est nécessaire que tu aies cloué. It’s necessary you nailed.
il ait cloué Il est possible qu’il ait cloué. It’s possible he nailed.
elle ait cloué Elle préfère qu’elle ait cloué. She prefers she nailed.
on ait cloué On espère qu’on ait cloué. We hope we nailed.
nous ayons cloué Nous voulons que nous ayons cloué. We want us to have nailed.
vous ayez cloué Il est important que vous ayez cloué. It’s important that you nailed.
ils aient cloué Ils doutent qu’ils aient cloué. They doubt they nailed.
elles aient cloué Elles veulent qu’elles aient cloué. They want they to have nailed.

Other Conjugations for Clouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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