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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb diriger

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The English translation of the French verb diriger is “to direct” or “to lead.” It is pronounced as “dee-ree-zhay” in the infinitive form.

Diriger comes from the Old French word “diriger,” which itself comes from the Latin “dirigere” meaning “to direct.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the act of guiding or managing something or someone.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, diriger is used to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical. It is often used in conjunction with other verbs such as “vouloir” (to want) or “pouvoir” (to be able to) to form a subordinate clause.

Here are three simple examples of diriger in the Subjonctif Passé tense:

  1. Je voulais que tu aies dirigé le projet. (I wanted you to have directed the project.)
  2. Il aurait fallu qu’elle ait dirigé la réunion. (She should have directed the meeting.)
  3. Nous espérons qu’ils aient bien dirigé l’entreprise. (We hope they have managed the company well.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Diriger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb diriger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Diriger – 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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