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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb donner

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of donner. 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 donner is “to give.” It is pronounced as “dawn-ay” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the verb donner can be traced back to the Latin word “dare,” which also means “to give.” It is one of the most commonly used verbs in everyday French and has many different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, donner is used to express the action of giving in a hypothetical or uncertain situation. It is often used with verbs like souhaiter (to wish), vouloir (to want), or espérer (to hope). Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Je voulais que tu m’aies donné ton avis. (I wanted you to have given me your opinion.)
  2. Il était possible que je n’aie pas donné la bonne réponse. (It was possible that I had not given the correct answer.)
  3. J’espérais que tu aies donné une chance à cette idée. (I hoped that you had given a chance to this idea.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Donner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb donner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 donner Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts