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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décider

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The English translation of the French verb décider is “to decide.” It is pronounced as [deh-see-deh].

The word décider comes from the Latin word “decidere” which is composed of the prefix “de” meaning “off” and “caedere” meaning “to cut.” In French, it is most often used to express the act of making a decision or a choice.

In everyday French, the verb décider is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past decision or choice that has already been made. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of décider.

  1. J’espère qu’il ait décidé de venir avec nous. (I hope he has decided to come with us.)
  2. Nous sommes contents qu’elle ait décidé de changer de carrière. (We are happy that she has decided to change careers.)
  3. Il est regrettable qu’ils aient décidé de ne pas se marier. (It is regrettable that they have decided not to get married.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used to express a past decision or choice, and is often accompanied by other verbs in the same mood, such as “espérer,” “être content,” or “être regrettable.”

In conclusion, the French verb décider is commonly used in everyday language to express the act of making a decision or a choice. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it is used to talk about a past decision or choice that has already been made.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie décidé Je crains que j’aie décidé. I fear that I decided.
tu aies décidé Il est nécessaire que tu aies décidé. It’s necessary that you decided.
il ait décidé Il est probable qu’il ait décidé. It’s probable he decided.
elle ait décidé Elle souhaite qu’elle ait décidé. She wishes she decided.
on ait décidé On préfère qu’on ait décidé. We prefer it to have been decided.
nous ayons décidé J’espère que nous ayons décidé. I hope we decided.
vous ayez décidé Il est important que vous ayez décidé. It’s important that you decided.
ils aient décidé Ils craignent qu’ils aient décidé. They fear they decided.
elles aient décidé Elles veulent qu’elles aient décidé. They want they decided.

Other Conjugations for Décider.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décider
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décider – 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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