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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désirer

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The English translation of the French verb désirer is “to desire” or “to want”. The infinitive form is pronounced “deh-zee-reh”.

The word désirer comes from the Latin word “desiderare”, which means “to long for” or “to desire”. It was introduced into French in the 12th century and has been used in the same sense ever since.

In everyday French, the verb désirer is commonly used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a desire or wish that was not fulfilled in the past. This tense is formed by combining the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” with the past participle of désirer.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Il faut que tu aies désiré partir en vacances. (You must have wanted to go on vacation.)

  2. Je regrette que vous ayez désiré cette voiture. (I regret that you desired this car.)

  3. Il était possible qu’elle ait désiré être plus heureuse. (It was possible that she had desired to be happier.)

English translations:

  1. You must have wanted to go on vacation.
  2. I regret that you desired this car.
  3. It was possible that she had desired to be happier.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie désiré Je souhaite que j’aie désiré. I wish that I desired.
tu aies désiré Il faut que tu aies désiré. You must have desired.
il ait désiré Il est possible qu’il ait désiré. It’s possible he desired.
elle ait désiré Elle craint qu’elle ait désiré. She fears she desired.
on ait désiré On veut qu’on ait désiré. We want it to have been desired.
nous ayons désiré Espérons que nous ayons désiré. Let’s hope we desired.
vous ayez désiré Il est important que vous ayez désiré. It’s important that you desired.
ils aient désiré Ils doutent qu’ils aient désiré. They doubt they desired.
elles aient désiré Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient désiré. They prefer they desired.

Other Conjugations for Désirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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