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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déterminer

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The English translation of the French verb déterminer is “to determine.” The infinitive form, déterminer, is pronounced as “day-tair-mee-nay.”

Déterminer comes from the Latin word “determinare,” which means “to limit” or “to define.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has evolved to have various meanings, including “to decide,” “to establish,” and “to specify.” In everyday French, déterminer is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a past hypothetical action or event.

3 examples of déterminer in the Subjonctif Passé tense are:

  1. Il faut que j’aie déterminé la date du mariage avant le mois prochain. (It was necessary for me to have determined the wedding date before next month.)

  2. Il est possible que nous ayons mal déterminé les causes de l’incendie. (It is possible that we may have wrongly determined the causes of the fire.)

  3. Je doute que tu aies bien déterminé la quantité de sel nécessaire pour la recette. (I doubt that you have accurately determined the amount of salt needed for the recipe.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie déterminé Il est possible que j’aie déterminé. It’s possible that I determined.
tu aies déterminé Tu crains que tu aies déterminé. You fear that you determined.
il ait déterminé Il est peu probable qu’il ait déterminé. It’s unlikely that he determined.
elle ait déterminé Elle doute qu’elle ait déterminé. She doubts that she determined.
on ait déterminé On veut qu’on ait déterminé. We want it to have been determined.
nous ayons déterminé Nous espérons que nous ayons déterminé. We hope we determined.
vous ayez déterminé Vous préférez qu’ils ayez déterminé. You prefer that they determined.
ils aient déterminé Ils doutent qu’ils aient déterminé. They doubt they determined.
elles aient déterminé Elles craignent qu’elles aient déterminé. They fear they determined.

Other Conjugations for Déterminer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déterminer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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