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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contresigner

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The English translation of the French verb contresigner is “to countersign.” It is pronounced as “kon-truh-seen-yay.”

The word contresigner is derived from the French words “contre” meaning “against” and “signer” meaning “to sign.” It first appeared in the French language in the 14th century and has been used in various legal and administrative contexts.

In everyday French, contresigner is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past event or action that was required or necessary. It is often used in conjunction with another verb in the Subjonctif Passé tense to convey an obligation or responsibility.

Here are three examples of contresigner being used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Il faut que tu aies contresigné le contrat avant la fin de la journée. (You had to have countersigned the contract before the end of the day.)
  2. Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas contresigné le document à temps. (I regret that you did not countersign the document on time.)
  3. Il est important que le maire ait contresigné l’ordonnance avant qu’elle ne soit mise en vigueur. (It is important that the mayor had countersigned the order before it came into effect.)

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

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Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie contresigné Il est possible que j’aie contresigné. It’s possible I countersigned.
tu aies contresigné Je veux que tu aies contresigné. I want you to have countersigned.
il ait contresigné Il faut qu’il ait contresigné. He must have countersigned.
elle ait contresigné Elle exige qu’elle ait contresigné. She demands she counterisgned.
on ait contresigné On estime qu’on ait contresigné. We believe it has been countersigned.
nous ayons contresigné Il faut que nous ayons contresigné. We must have countersigned.
vous ayez contresigné Assurez-vous que vous ayez contresigné. Make sure you have countersigned.
ils aient contresigné Ils exigent qu’ils aient contresigné. They demand they have countersigned.
elles aient contresigné Elles espèrent qu’elles aient contresigné. They hope they have countersigned.

Other Conjugations for Contresigner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contresigner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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