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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb conserver

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of conserver. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb conserver is “to preserve” or “to conserve.” The infinitive form, conserver, is pronounced as /kɔ̃.sɛʁ.ve/ in French.

The word conserver comes from the Latin verb “conservare,” which means “to keep, preserve, maintain.” In everyday French, conserver is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a past hypothetical or uncertain action.

3 simple examples of conserver in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Il aurait fallu que tu conserves les documents importants. (You should have preserved the important documents.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que nous conservions notre amitié malgré la distance. (I would have liked us to preserve our friendship despite the distance.)
  3. Il aurait été préférable que vous conserviez le calme face à cette situation. (It would have been better if you had preserved your calm in this situation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie conservé Je veux qu’elle aie conservé son emploi. I want her to have kept her job.
tu aies conservé Il est possible que tu aies conservé la clé. It’s possible you kept the key.
il ait conservé Je doute qu’il ait conservé son argent. I doubt he kept his money.
elle ait conservé Il faut qu’elle ait conservé la photo. She must have kept the picture.
on ait conservé On préfère qu’on ait conservé nos traditions. We prefer that we kept our traditions.
nous ayons conservé Nous voulons qu’on ait conservé la paix. We want them to have kept the peace.
vous ayez conservé Vous craignez que vous ayez conservé le secret. You fear you kept the secret.
ils aient conservé Ils espèrent qu’ils aient conservé leur héritage. They hope they kept their heritage.
elles aient conservé Elles regrettent qu’elles aient conservé leur colère. They regret they kept their anger.

Other Conjugations for Conserver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conserver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the conserver Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts