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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démembrer

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The English translation of the French verb démembrer is “to dismember.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-maum-bray.”

The language origin of démembrer can be traced back to the Latin word “membra,” meaning “limbs.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which expresses actions that may or may not have happened in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’espère qu’il n’ait pas démembré le jouet que je lui ai offert. (I hope he didn’t dismember the toy I gave him.)
  2. Il faut que nous ayons démembré le poulet avant de le mettre au four. (We must have dismembered the chicken before putting it in the oven.)
  3. Il est possible qu’ils aient démembré le corps avant de l’enterrer. (It is possible that they dismembered the body before burying it.)

The English translations of these sentences show the use of the Subjonctif Passé tense to express uncertainty or possibility in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie démembre Il se peut que je aie démembre. I may have dismembered.
tu aies démembre Tu penses que tu aies démembre. You think you may have dismembered.
il ait démembre Je lui demande qu’il ait démembre. I ask him to have dismembered.
elle ait démembre Elle espère qu’elle ait démembre. She hopes she may have dismembered.
on ait démembre On a peur que on ait démembre. We are afraid we may have dismembered.
nous ayons démembre Je souhaite que nous ayons démembre. I wish we may have dismembered.
vous ayez démembre Il est important que vous ayez démembre. It’s important that you may have dismembered.
ils aient démembre Ils ont besoin que ils aient démembre. They need they may have dismembered.
elles aient démembre Elles croient que elles aient démembre. They believe they may have dismembered.

Other Conjugations for Démembrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démembrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Démembrer – 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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