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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb conférer

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The English translation of the French verb conférer is “to confer” or “to bestow.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kohn-feh-reh.”

The word conférer comes from the Latin word “conferre,” meaning “to compare” or “to bring together.” It first appeared in the French language in the 13th century.

In everyday French, conférer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express uncertainty or doubt about a past action. It is usually preceded by the conjunction “que.”

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

  1. Il est possible que le président lui ait conféré un titre honorifique. (It’s possible that the president bestowed an honorary title upon him.)

  2. Je doute que le pouvoir lui ait été conféré légitimement. (I doubt that power was legitimately conferred upon him.)

  3. Il est essentiel que cette responsabilité lui ait été conférée. (It’s essential that this responsibility was conferred upon him.)

In these examples, we can see that conférer is used to express the granting or bestowing of something upon someone. It is often used in a formal or official context, such as in relation to titles, responsibilities, or powers.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie conféré Je ne pense pas que j’aie conféré. I don’t think I conferred.
tu aies conféré Il est important que tu aies conféré. It’s important that you conferred.
il ait conféré Il faut qu’il ait conféré. He must have conferred.
elle ait conféré Elle préfère qu’elle ait conféré. She prefers she conferred.
on ait conféré On espère qu’on ait conféré. We hope we conferred.
nous ayons conféré Il est possible que nous ayons conféré. It’s possible we conferred.
vous ayez conféré Il est nécessaire que vous ayez conféré. It’s necessary that you conferred.
ils aient conféré Ils ont peur qu’ils aient conféré. They’re afraid they conferred.
elles aient conféré Elles aimeraient qu’elles aient conféré. They would like they conferred.

Other Conjugations for Conférer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conférer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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