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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désespérer

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The English translation of the French verb désespérer is “to despair”. It is pronounced “day-zay-spair-ay”.

The word désespérer comes from the Latin word “desperare” meaning “to lose hope”. It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used in various forms and contexts since then.

In everyday French, the verb désespérer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past event or action that was uncertain or unlikely to happen. It is typically used in conjunction with the conjunction “que” to introduce the clause that expresses the subject’s uncertainty.

Here are three examples of désespérer in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. J’ai eu peur que tu aies désespéré – I was afraid that you had despaired.
  2. Il n’est pas sûr qu’elle ait désespéré – It’s not certain that she despaired.
  3. Nous avons douté qu’ils aient désespéré – We doubted that they had despaired.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie désespéré Je suis triste que j’aie désespéré. I am sad that I gave up hope.
tu aies désespéré Il est possible que tu aies désespéré. It’s possible that you gave up hope.
il ait désespéré Il doute qu’il ait désespéré. He doubts he gave up hope.
elle ait désespéré Elle a peur qu’elle ait désespéré. She is afraid she gave up hope.
on ait désespéré On veut qu’on ait désespéré. We want it to have given up hope.
nous ayons désespéré Il est temps que nous ayons désespéré. It’s time for us to give up hope.
vous ayez désespéré Il est important que vous ayez désespéré. It’s important for you to give up hope.
ils aient désespéré Ils espèrent qu’ils aient désespéré. They hope they gave up hope.
elles aient désespéré Elles sont heureuses qu’elles aient désespéré. They are happy they gave up hope.

Other Conjugations for Désespérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désespérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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