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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cultiver

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The English translation of cultiver is “to cultivate.” It is pronounced as “kul-tee-vay.”

The word cultiver comes from the Latin verb “colere,” which means “to till” or “to cultivate.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used in its current form since the 16th century. In everyday French, cultiver is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express actions that were desired or expected to happen in the past.

Here are three examples of cultiver in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies cultivé tes propres légumes cet été. (I would have liked for you to have cultivated your own vegetables this summer.)
  2. Il était important que nous ayons cultivé cette terre avant l’arrivée des pluies. (It was important for us to have cultivated this land before the rains came.)
  3. Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas cultivé votre talent pour la musique. (I regret that you did not cultivate your talent for music.)

In these examples, you can see that the Subjonctif Passé tense is used to express a desire or a regret about an action that was expected to happen in the past (but may or may not have actually happened).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Cultiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cultiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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