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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confesser

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The English translation of the French verb confesser is “to confess.” It is pronounced “koh(n)-feh-say.”

The language origin of confesser comes from the Latin word “confiteri,” meaning “to confess.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense when talking about something that has already happened and expressing doubt, regret, or uncertainty about it.

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

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu confesses tes fautes plutôt que de les nier.
    Translation: I would have preferred that you confessed your mistakes rather than denying them.

  2. Il est temps que tu confesses tes sentiments pour elle.
    Translation: It’s time for you to confess your feelings for her.

  3. Je suis contente que tu aies enfin confessé la vérité.
    Translation: I’m glad that you finally confessed the truth.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie confessé Je ne crois pas que j’aie confessé. I don’t believe I confessed.
tu aies confessé Il est possible que tu aies confessé. It’s possible you confessed.
il ait confessé Il est important qu’il ait confessé. It’s important he confessed.
elle ait confessé Elle souhaite qu’elle ait confessé. She wishes she confessed.
on ait confessé On espère qu’on ait confessé. We hope we confessed.
nous ayons confessé Il est nécessaire que nous ayons confessé. It’s necessary that we confessed.
vous ayez confessé Souvenez-vous qu’il faut que vous ayez confessé. Remember that you must have confessed.
ils aient confessé Ils veulent qu’ils aient confessé. They want it to have been confessed.
elles aient confessé Elles doutent qu’elles aient confessé. They doubt they confessed.

Other Conjugations for Confesser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confesser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Confesser – 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.

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