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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commenter

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The English translation of the French verb commenter is “to comment.” It is pronounced “kuh-mahn-tay.”

The verb commenter comes from the Latin word “commentari,” meaning “to meditate, think over.” It was first used in the French language in the late 16th century to refer to making a commentary or observation. Today, it is most often used in everyday French to express one’s opinion or thoughts on a particular subject or event.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, commenter is conjugated as follows:

  • je commente
  • tu commentes
  • il/elle/on commente
  • nous commentions
  • vous commentiez
  • ils/elles commentent

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Il est important que tu aies commenté l’article avant le délai imparti. (It is important that you have commented on the article before the deadline.)
  2. Nous doutions qu’ils eussent commenté le film de manière juste. (We doubted that they had commented on the film accurately.)
  3. Je suis contente qu’elle ait enfin commenté son choix de carrière avec ses parents. (I am glad that she finally commented on her career choice with her parents.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie commenté Peut-être que j’aie commenté. Maybe I commented.
tu aies commenté Si tu aies commenté, je serais content. If you commented, I would be happy.
il ait commenté Il est possible qu’il ait commenté. It’s possible he commented.
elle ait commenté Elle espère qu’elle ait commenté. She hopes she commented.
on ait commenté On préfère qu’on ait commenté. We prefer we commented.
nous ayons commenté J’aimerais que nous ayons commenté. I would like for us to have commented.
vous ayez commenté Il est important que vous ayez commenté. It’s important that you commented.
ils aient commenté Ils ne pensent pas qu’ils aient commenté. They don’t think they commented.
elles aient commenté Elles doutent qu’elles aient commenté. They doubt they commented.

Other Conjugations for Commenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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