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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb demander

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The English translation of the French verb demander is “to ask” or “to demand.” It is pronounced as “de-mahn-day.”

The language origin of demander can be traced back to the Latin word “mandare,” meaning “to order” or “to commit.” In French, it is most often used in everyday language to express a request or a demand for something.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, demander is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred in the past. It is often used after certain conjunctions such as “il faut que” (it is necessary that) or “pour que” (so that).

Example 1: Il fallait que tu me demandes avant de prendre ma voiture. (It was necessary for you to ask me before taking my car.)
Example 2: Je suis désolé que tu ne m’aies pas demandé de l’aide plus tôt. (I am sorry you did not ask me for help sooner.)
Example 3: Pour que je te pardonne, il aurait fallu que tu me demandes pardon. (In order for me to forgive you, you should have asked for my forgiveness.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie demandé Je suis contente que j’aie demandé. I’m glad I asked.
tu aies demandé Peut-être que tu aies demandé. Maybe you asked.
il ait demandé Il est possible qu’il ait demandé. It’s possible he asked.
elle ait demandé Elle n’est pas certaine qu’elle ait demandé. She’s not sure she asked.
on ait demandé On aimerait qu’on ait demandé. We would like to have asked.
nous ayons demandé Assurons-nous que nous ayons demandé. Let’s make sure we asked.
vous ayez demandé J’attends que vous ayez demandé. I’m waiting for you to ask.
ils aient demandé Je suis content(e) qu’ils aient demandé. I’m glad they asked.
elles aient demandé Elles ne croient pas qu’elles aient demandé. They don’t believe they asked.

Other Conjugations for Demander.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb demander
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Demander – 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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