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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb critiquer

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The English translation of the French verb critiquer is “to criticize.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kree-teek-ay.”

Critiquer comes from the Latin word “criticus,” meaning “able to discern or judge,” and was first used in the French language in the 18th century. It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of giving a negative opinion or judgment about something or someone.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, critiquer is used to express a past action or situation that is uncertain or hypothetical. It is formed by taking the present tense form of the verb “avoir” or “être,” and adding the past participle of critiquer, which is “critiqué.”

Three simple examples of using critiquer in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. J’espère que tu n’aies pas critiqué ma présentation. (I hope you didn’t criticize my presentation.)
  2. Il est important que nous ayons critiqué leur comportement. (It is important that we criticized their behavior.)
  3. Je suis désolé que vous ayez critiqué mon travail sans même le lire. (I am sorry that you criticized my work without even reading it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie critiqué Il est possible que j’aie critiqué. It’s possible I criticized.
tu aies critiqué Tu cherches une raison pour que tu aies critiqué. You’re looking for a reason to have criticized.
il ait critiqué Il est important qu’il ait critiqué. It’s important he criticized.
elle ait critiqué Elle est furieuse qu’elle ait critiqué. She’s furious she criticized.
on ait critiqué On dit qu’on ait critiqué. It’s said that we criticized.
nous ayons critiqué Nous espérons que nous ayons critiqué. We hope we criticized.
vous ayez critiqué Vous préférez que vous ayez critiqué. You prefer you criticized.
ils aient critiqué Ils doutent qu’ils aient critiqué. They doubt they criticized.
elles aient critiqué Elles ne veulent pas qu’elles aient critiqué. They don’t want they criticized.

Other Conjugations for Critiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb critiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Critiquer – 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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