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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coulisser

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The English translation of the French verb coulisser is “to slide” or “to glide.” It is pronounced “koo-lee-say” in its infinitive form.

Coulisser comes from the French word “coulisse,” meaning “sliding piece,” which in turn comes from the Old French word “coulir,” meaning “to flow.” It is most commonly used in every day French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

Examples of its usage in this tense include:

  1. Il aurait fallu que je coulisse la porte pour entrer. (I would have had to slide the door to enter.)

  2. Il doute que tu aies coulissé la fenêtre hier soir. (He doubts that you slid the window last night.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que le tiroir ait coulissé plus facilement. (We would have preferred for the drawer to have slid more easily.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie coulissé Je n’ai pas d’idée de ce que je ferais si j’avais coulissé. I have no idea what I would do if I had slipped.
tu aies coulissé Si tu avais coulissé, tu serais tombé. If you had slipped, you would have fallen.
il ait coulissé Il est important qu’il ait coulissé sans se blesser. It’s important that he slipped without getting hurt.
elle ait coulissé Elle aurait paniqué si elle avait coulissé. She would have panicked if she had slipped.
on ait coulissé On aurait pu éviter cet accident si on avait coulissé. We could have avoided this accident if we had slipped.
nous ayons coulissé Il faut que nous ayons coulissé pour accéder à la cave. We need to have slipped to access the basement.
vous ayez coulissé Je suis désolé que vous ayez coulissé et vous soyez blessé. I’m sorry that you slipped and got hurt.
ils aient coulissé Ils ne croient pas qu’ils aient coulissé dans le noir. They don’t believe they slipped in the dark.
elles aient coulissé Si elles avaient coulissé, elles seraient tombées. If they had slipped, they would have fallen.

Other Conjugations for Coulisser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coulisser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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