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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb courtiser

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of courtiser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb courtiser is “to court” or “to woo.” It is pronounced as “koor-tee-zay.”

The word courtiser comes from the Old French cortois, meaning “courteous” or “well-bred.” It originated from the Latin word cohors, meaning “court” or “yard,” and evolved to mean “to pay court to someone,” as in trying to win their favor or affection.

In everyday French, the verb courtiser is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express wishes, doubts, or possibilities in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of courtiser used in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’espère que tu aies courtisé cette fille. (I hope you courted that girl.)
  2. Il est possible qu’elle ait été courtisée par plusieurs prétendants. (It is possible that she was courted by several suitors.)
  3. Nous doutons qu’ils aient courtisé de manière appropriée. (We doubt that they courted in an appropriate manner.)

English translations:

  1. I hope you courted that girl.
  2. It is possible that she was courted by several suitors.
  3. We doubt that they courted in an appropriate manner.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Courtiser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb courtiser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the courtiser Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts