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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb culer

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The English translation of the French verb culer is “to slide” or “to move backward”. It is pronounced as “ku-leh” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word culer can be traced back to the Latin word “culus”, meaning “buttocks”. In everyday French, culer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past hypothetical action or event that did not happen. It is often used in conjunction with the word “si” (if).

Here are three simple examples of culer in the Subjonctif Passé tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais culé, je serais tombé. (If I had slid, I would have fallen.)
  2. Il aurait culé s’il n’avait pas fait attention. (He would have slid if he hadn’t been careful.)
  3. Nous aurions culé si la route avait été mouillée. (We would have slid if the road had been wet.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie culé Je doute que j’aie culé. I doubt that I was successful.
tu aies culé Il est possible que tu aies culé. It’s possible you were successful.
il ait culé Il est heureux qu’il ait culé. He’s happy he was successful.
elle ait culé Elle veut qu’elle ait culé. She wants to be successful.
on ait culé On demande qu’on ait culé. We demand to be successful.
nous ayons culé Peut-être que nous ayons culé. Perhaps we were successful.
vous ayez culé Je préfère que vous ayez culé. I prefer you were successful.
ils aient culé Ils doutent qu’ils aient culé. They doubt they were successful.
elles aient culé Elles aimeraient qu’elles aient culé. They would like to be successful.

Other Conjugations for Culer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb culer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Culer – 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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