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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désoler

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of désoler. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb désoler is “to apologize” or “to be sorry.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-zoh-lay.”

Désoler comes from the Old French word desoler, which means “to distress” or “to make desolate.” It is derived from the Latin word desolare, which means “to abandon” or “to leave alone.”

In everyday French, désoler is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical, often used in apologies or expressions of regret.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with the respective English translations:

  1. Je suis désolé que tu ne sois pas venu à la fête hier soir. (I am sorry that you didn’t come to the party last night.)
  2. Elle m’a dit qu’elle était désolée de ne pas avoir pu t’aider. (She told me she was sorry she couldn’t help you.)
  3. Nous étions désolés qu’il ait perdu son emploi. (We were sorry that he lost his job.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie désolé Je suis triste que tu aies désolé mon frère. I’m sad that you’ve disappointed my brother.
tu aies désolé Il est possible que tu aies désolé tes amis. It’s possible that you’ve saddened your friends.
il ait désolé Il est possible qu’il ait désolé ses parents. It’s possible he’s upset his parents.
elle ait désolé Elle craint qu’elle ait désolé ses proches. She fears she’s upset her loved ones.
on ait désolé On voudrait qu’on ait désolé nos voisins. We would like to have upset our neighbors.
nous ayons désolé Il eut été préférable que nous ayons désolé le professeur. It would have been better if we had upset the teacher.
vous ayez désolé Il est dommage que vous ayez désolé votre famille. It’s a shame that you’ve upset your family.
ils aient désolé Ils doutent qu’ils aient désolé l’environnement. They doubt they’ve harmed the environment.
elles aient désolé Il est dommage qu’elles aient désolé leur réputation. It’s a shame that they’ve damaged their reputation.

Other Conjugations for Désoler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désoler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the désoler Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts