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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cogner

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The English translation of the French verb cogner is “to hit” or “to knock”. It is pronounced as “koh-nyay”.

The language origin of cogner can be traced back to the Latin word “cognoscere” which means “to learn or to recognize”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express actions that are uncertain or hypothetical in the past.

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

  1. Il faut que j’aie cogné à la porte avant d’entrer. (I had to knock on the door before entering.)
  2. Je doute qu’il ait cogné le ballon aussi fort qu’il le prétend. (I doubt he hit the ball as hard as he claims.)
  3. J’espère qu’ils aient cogné assez fort pour être entendus. (I hope they hit hard enough to be heard.)

English translations:

  1. I had to knock on the door before entering.
  2. I doubt he hit the ball as hard as he claims.
  3. I hope they hit hard enough to be heard.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie cogné Je suis content que j’aie cogné. I’m glad I hit.
tu aies cogné Dommage que tu aies cogné. Too bad you hit.
il ait cogné Il n’est pas certain qu’il ait cogné. It’s not clear if he hit.
elle ait cogné Elle nie qu’elle ait cogné. She denies hitting.
on ait cogné On a peur qu’on ait cogné. We’re afraid we hit.
nous ayons cogné Il faut que nous ayons cogné. We need to have hit.
vous ayez cogné Il est nécessaire que vous ayez cogné. It’s necessary that you hit.
ils aient cogné Ils sont contents qu’ils aient cogné. They’re glad they hit.
elles aient cogné Elles s’attendent qu’elles aient cogné. They expect to have hit.

Other Conjugations for Cogner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cogner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cogner – 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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