Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-passer

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The English translation of the French verb contre-passer is “to go over again” or “to pass again.” It is pronounced “kohn-truh-pa-say.”

The word contre-passer comes from the Latin prefix “contra,” meaning “against,” and the verb “passer,” meaning “to pass.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a past action or event that is uncertain or hypothetical.

Examples:

  1. Je doute que tu aies contre-passé cet examen. (I doubt that you passed this exam again.)
  2. Il faut que nous contre-passions la rivière pour atteindre le village. (We have to go over the river again to reach the village.)
  3. Je suis content que vous ayez contre-passé vos peurs et pris la parole en public. (I am glad that you overcame your fears and spoke in public again.)

English translations:

  1. I doubt that you passed this exam again.
  2. We have to go over the river again to reach the village.
  3. I am glad that you overcame your fears and spoke in public again.

Table of the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of contre-passer

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie contre-passé Je suis heureux que j’aie contre-passé. I’m happy that I crossed over.
tu aies contre-passé Je suis surpris que tu aies contre-passé. I’m surprised that you crossed over.
il ait contre-passé Il est content que nous ait contre-passé. He is happy that he crossed over.
elle ait contre-passé Elle est triste qu’elle ait contre-passé. She is sad that she crossed over.
on ait contre-passé On s’attend à ce qu’il ait contre-passé. We expect him to have crossed over.
nous ayons contre-passé Nous voulons que nous ayons contre-passé. We want to have crossed over.
vous ayez contre-passé Je suis soulagé que vous ayez contre-passé. I’m relieved that you crossed over.
ils aient contre-passé Ils suggèrent qu’ils aient contre-passé. They suggest that they crossed over.
elles aient contre-passé Elles doivent admettre qu’elles aient contre-passé. They must admit that they crossed over.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Passer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer     (this article)

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-passer

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Contre-Passer – 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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