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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb comprimer

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The English translation of the French verb “comprimer” is “to compress” or “to squeeze.” The infinitive form, “comprimer,” is pronounced as [kɔ̃.pʁi.me].

The word “comprimer” comes from the Latin word “compressus,” meaning “pressed together” or “compressed.” It first appeared in the French language in the 16th century.

In everyday French, the verb “comprimer” is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express actions that are uncertain or hypothetical in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive form of “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three examples of “comprimer” used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Il faut que j’aie comprimé mes vêtements dans ma valise pour qu’ils rentrent tous. (I must have compressed my clothes in my suitcase for them all to fit.)

  2. J’aurais aimé qu’elle ait comprimé sa colère avant de parler. (I would have liked her to have compressed her anger before speaking.)

  3. Il est possible que nous ayons comprimé les données pour gagner de l’espace sur notre disque dur. (It is possible that we compressed the data to save space on our hard drive.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie comprimé Il est possible que j’aie comprimé. It’s possible that I compressed.
tu aies comprimé Tu dois t’assurer que tu aies comprimé. You must make sure that you have compressed.
il ait comprimé Il faut qu’il ait comprimé. He must have compressed.
elle ait comprimé Elle préfère qu’elle ait comprimé. She prefers she compressed.
on ait comprimé On veut qu’on ait comprimé. We want it to have been compressed.
nous ayons comprimé Nous espérons que nous ayons comprimé. We hope we compressed.
vous ayez comprimé Il est primordial que vous ayez comprimé. It’s crucial that you compressed.
ils aient comprimé Ils craignent qu’ils aient comprimé. They fear they compressed.
elles aient comprimé Elles doutent qu’elles aient comprimé. They doubt they compressed.

Other Conjugations for Comprimer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb comprimer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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