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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dater

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The English translation of the French verb dater is “to date.” It is pronounced as “da-teh” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word dater can be traced back to the Latin word “datum,” meaning “to give.” In everyday French, dater is most often used to refer to the act of dating or marking a specific time or event with a date.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, dater is used in the following way:

  1. Il est important que nous ayons daté le contrat avant la réunion. (It is important that we have dated the contract before the meeting.)
  2. Je doute qu’ils aient daté leur relation du 14 février. (I doubt that they dated their relationship on February 14th.)
  3. Il faut que j’aie daté toutes mes lettres avant de les envoyer. (I need to have dated all my letters before sending them.)

English translations:

  1. It is important that we have dated the contract before the meeting.
  2. I doubt that they dated their relationship on February 14th.
  3. I need to have dated all my letters before sending them.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie daté Il est possible que j’aie daté. It’s possible I dated.
tu aies daté Tu souhaites que tu aies daté. You wish you dated.
il ait daté Il est important qu’il ait daté. It’s important he dated.
elle ait daté Elle refuse qu’elle ait daté. She refuses she dated.
on ait daté On veut qu’on ait daté. We want it to have been dated.
nous ayons daté Il est possible que nous ayons daté. It’s possible we dated.
vous ayez daté Il est important que vous ayez daté. It’s important that you dated.
ils aient daté Ils sont contents qu’ils aient daté. They are happy they dated.
elles aient daté Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient daté. They prefer they dated.

Other Conjugations for Dater.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dater
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dater – 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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