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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décréter

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The English translation of the French verb décréter is “to decree” or “to order”. It is pronounced as [de-kre-te].

The word décréter comes from the Latin word “decretum”, meaning “decision” or “order”. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past decision or order.

Here are 3 simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’espère qu’il ait décrété la fin du conflit. (I hope he has decreed the end of the conflict.)
  2. Il est étonnant qu’elle ait décrété cette mesure sans consulter les autres. (It is surprising that she decreed this measure without consulting others.)
  3. Nous avons été soulagés qu’il ait décrété un jour férié pour le personnel. (We were relieved that he decreed a holiday for the staff.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used after the conjunction “que” to express uncertainty or doubt about the past decision or order.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie décrété Je veux que j’aie décrété. I want to have decreed.
tu aies décrété Ne dis pas que tu aies décrété. Don’t say that you have decreed.
il ait décrété Il est possible qu’il ait décrété. It’s possible he has decreed.
elle ait décrété Elle craint qu’elle ait décrété. She fears she has decreed.
on ait décrété On pense que l’on ait décrété. We think that it has been decreed.
nous ayons décrété Je suis content que nous ayons décrété. I’m glad that we have decreed.
vous ayez décrété Je suis désolé que vous ayez décrété. I’m sorry that you have decreed.
ils aient décrété Ils espèrent qu’ils aient décrété. They hope that they have decreed.
elles aient décrété Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient décrété. They prefer that they have decreed.

Other Conjugations for Décréter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décréter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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