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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colmater

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The English translation of the French verb colmater is “to plug” or “to seal.” It is pronounced kohl-mah-ter in its infinitive form.

Colmater comes from the Latin word “commater,” which means “godmother.” In French, it originally referred to the act of sealing or closing a gap or hole, similar to how a godmother would seal a bond between a child and their godparent. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies colmaté les fuites avant que la pluie ne commence. (I wish you had plugged the leaks before the rain started.)
  2. Il faudra que nous ayons colmaté les brèches avant l’arrivée de l’hiver. (We will have to seal the breaches before winter arrives.)
  3. Je doute que le plombier ait colmaté toutes les fissures, il devra revenir demain. (I doubt the plumber sealed all the cracks, he will have to come back tomorrow.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie colmaté Je suis content que j’aie colmaté la fuite. I’m happy that I sealed the leak.
tu aies colmaté Il est essentiel que tu aies colmaté le trou. It’s essential that you patched the hole.
il ait colmaté Il faut qu’il ait colmaté la brèche. He must have sealed the breach.
elle ait colmaté Elle est heureuse qu’elle ait colmaté la fissure. She’s happy that she filled the crack.
on ait colmaté On veut qu’on ait colmaté le dégât. We want it to have been patched up.
nous ayons colmaté Il est important que nous ayons colmaté les fissures. It’s important that we sealed the cracks.
vous ayez colmaté Les voisins sont ravis que vous ayez colmaté les trous. The neighbors are thrilled that you plugged the holes.
ils aient colmaté Ils doutent qu’ils aient colmaté les infiltrations. They doubt they sealed the leaks.
elles aient colmaté Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient colmaté les fuites. They prefer they patched the leaks.

Other Conjugations for Colmater.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colmater
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Colmater – 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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