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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb distinguer

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The English translation of the French verb distinguer is “to distinguish”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “dees-tahn-gay”.

The word distinguer comes from the Latin word “distinguo”, meaning “to separate or distinguish”. It is most commonly used in everyday French language to express the act of differentiating or identifying something or someone from others.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, distinguer is used to express a doubt or possibility that something has been distinguished in the past. For example:

  1. Il est possible que nous ayons distingué la bonne personne. (It is possible that we have distinguished the right person.)
  2. Je doute qu’elle ait distingué le vrai du faux. (I doubt that she distinguished the truth from the lie.)
  3. Il est probable qu’ils aient distingué les différents types de fromage. (It is probable that they distinguished the different types of cheese.)

Overall, distinguer is used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain action of distinguishing in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie distingué Je suis contente que j’aie distingué. I’m glad that I distinguished.
tu aies distingué Il est possible que tu aies distingué. It’s possible you distinguished.
il ait distingué Il est content qu’il ait distingué. He’s glad he distinguished.
elle ait distingué Elle doute qu’elle ait distingué. She doubts she distinguished.
on ait distingué On se demande si on ait distingué. We wonder if we distinguished.
nous ayons distingué Il est important que nous ayons distingué. It’s important we distinguished.
vous ayez distingué Il est essentiel que vous ayez distingué. It’s essential that you distinguished.
ils aient distingué Ils préfèrent qu’ils aient distingué. They prefer if they distinguished.
elles aient distingué Elles espèrent qu’elles aient distingué. They hope they distinguished.

Other Conjugations for Distinguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb distinguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Distinguer – 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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