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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb côtoyer

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The English translation of the French verb côtoyer is “to rub shoulders with” or “to be next to.” It is pronounced as “koh-twa-yay.”

The word côtoyer comes from the Latin word “cotare,” which means “to be close to.” It is primarily used in everyday French to express being in close proximity to someone or something or to describe a social interaction. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it is often used to express feelings or emotions about a past event.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. J’ai été heureux que tu aies côtoyé des personnes aussi intéressantes lors de la soirée. (I was happy that you got to rub shoulders with such interesting people at the party.)
  2. Il est triste qu’elle ait côtoyé la pauvreté toute sa vie. (It’s sad that she had to be next to poverty her whole life.)
  3. Nous avons été étonnés qu’ils aient côtoyé le danger sans en avoir peur. (We were surprised that they were able to be next to danger without being scared.)

In these examples, côtoyer in the Subjonctif Passé tense expresses a past event that has influenced someone’s emotions or thoughts in the present. The use of the Subjonctif mood adds a sense of uncertainty or subjectivity to the sentence.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie côtoyé Je doute que j’aie côtoyé. I doubt that I rubbed shoulders.
tu aies côtoyé Il faut que tu aies côtoyé. You must have rubbed shoulders.
il ait côtoyé Il est possible qu’il ait côtoyé. It’s possible he rubbed shoulders.
elle ait côtoyé Elle craint qu’elle ait côtoyé. She fears she rubbed shoulders.
on ait côtoyé On veut qu’on ait côtoyé. We want it to have been rubbed shoulders.
nous ayons côtoyé Espérons que nous ayons côtoyé. Let’s hope we rubbed shoulders.
vous ayez côtoyé Il est important que vous ayez côtoyé. It’s important that you rubbed shoulders.
ils aient côtoyé Ils doutent qu’ils aient côtoyé. They doubt they rubbed shoulders.
elles aient côtoyé Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient côtoyé. They prefer they rubbed shoulders.

Other Conjugations for Côtoyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb côtoyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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