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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commencer

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The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to begin” or “to start.” It is pronounced “koh-mahn-seh” in the infinitive form.

The language origin of commencer can be traced back to the Latin word “comminisci” which means “to conceive” or “to invent.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been commonly used in everyday French ever since.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, commencer is used to express a past action that is uncertain, desired, or hypothetical. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of commencer.

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

  1. J’espère que tu aies commencé ton travail. (I hope you have started your work.)
  2. Il faut que nous soyons déjà commencés pour le déjeuner. (We need to have already started for lunch.)
  3. Il aimerait que les enfants aient commencé à étudier le français. (He would like the children to have started studying French.)

In all of these examples, commencer is used to express a past action that may or may not have happened, in a hypothetical or uncertain manner.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Commencer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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