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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commuer

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The English translation of the French verb commuer is “to commute.” It is pronounced “koh-moo-eh.”

The word commuer comes from the Latin word “commutare,” meaning “to change” or “to exchange.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or subjective action that occurred in the past.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of commuer in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il aurait fallu que je commuasse ma peine en travaillant. (I would have had to commute my sentence by working.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu commuasses ta peine en faisant du bénévolat. (I would have liked for you to commute your sentence by volunteering.)
  3. Il aurait été préférable que nous commuassions nos peines en aidant les autres. (It would have been preferable for us to commute our sentences by helping others.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie commué Je suis content que j’aie commué. I’m glad I changed.
tu aies commué Tu n’es pas sûr que tu aies commué. You’re not sure you changed.
il ait commué Il est peu probable qu’il ait commué. It’s unlikely he changed.
elle ait commué Elle est fière qu’elle ait commué. She’s proud she changed.
on ait commué On insiste qu’on ait commué. We insist we changed.
nous ayons commué Nous voulons que nous ayons commué. We want us to have changed.
vous ayez commué Vous préférez que vous ayez commué. You prefer you changed.
ils aient commué Ils doutent qu’ils aient commué. They doubt they changed.
elles aient commué Elles craignent qu’elles aient commué. They fear they changed.

Other Conjugations for Commuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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