Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Introduction to the verb conter
The English translation of the French verb conter is “to tell” or “to relate.” It is pronounced as “kawn-tay.”
The word “conter” comes from the Latin word “computare” meaning “to count or calculate.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and originally meant “to recount or narrate.” Over time, it evolved to mean “to tell or relate” in a more general sense.
In everyday French, conter is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses an action or event that is uncertain or hypothetical in the past. It is formed by using the subjonctif présent of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of conter.
Examples:
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Il fallait que je lui conter une histoire. (I had to tell him a story.)
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Il est étonnant que tu ne lui aies pas encore conté ton voyage. (It’s surprising that you haven’t told him about your trip yet.)
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Il est possible qu’elle ait déjà conté cette anecdote. (It’s possible that she has already related this anecdote.)
English translations:
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Il fallait que je lui raconte une histoire.
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Il est étonnant que tu ne lui aies pas encore raconté ton voyage.
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Il est possible qu’elle ait déjà raconté cette anecdote.
Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of conter
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | aie conté | Je suis heureux que j’aie conté. | I am happy that I have told. |
tu | aies conté | Tu doutes que tu aies conté. | You doubt that you told. |
il | ait conté | Il est important qu’il ait conté. | It’s important that he told. |
elle | ait conté | Elle aimerait qu’elle ait conté. | She would like that she told. |
on | ait conté | On espère qu’on ait conté. | We hope it to have been told. |
nous | ayons conté | Nous devons qu’il faut qu’on ait conté. | We must have told. |
vous | ayez conté | Il est possible que vous ayez conté. | It’s possible that you told. |
ils | aient conté | Ils doutent qu’ils aient conté. | They doubt that they told. |
elles | aient conté | Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient conté. | They prefer that they told. |
Other Conjugations for Conter.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter (this article)
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb conter
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Conter – About the French Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense
Formation of the Subjonctif Passé
Everyday Usage Patterns
Interactions with Other Tenses
Present tense
Future tense
Conditional
Summary
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