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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douer

Get the Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) tense conjugation of douer. 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 “douer” is “to endow” or “to bless.” It is pronounced “doo-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word “douer” comes from the Latin word “dotare” meaning “to give a dowry.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Passé tense, which is used to express a possible action in the past.

Example 1: Il est important que tu aies doué tes enfants de bonnes valeurs. (It is important that you have endowed your children with good values.)
Example 2: Après avoir doué ses élèves de sa sagesse, le professeur a pris sa retraite. (After blessing his students with his wisdom, the teacher retired.)
Example 3: J’espère que mes parents m’ont doué d’une bonne mémoire. (I hope that my parents have endowed me with a good memory.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie doué Il est peu probable que j’aie doué. It’s unlikely I endowed.
tu aies doué Pour que tu aies doué, il faut du talent. In order for you to have endowed, you need talent.
il ait doué Il est possible qu’il ait doué. It’s possible he endowed.
elle ait doué Elle espère qu’elle ait doué. She hopes she endowed.
on ait doué On exige qu’on ait doué. We demand it to have been endowed.
nous ayons doué À moins que nous ayons doué, il n’y aura pas de progrès. Unless we have endowed, there will be no progress.
vous ayez doué Vous êtes sûr qu’il faut que vous ayez doué ? Are you sure you have to have endowed?
ils aient doué Ils préfèrent qu’ils aient doué. They prefer they endowed.
elles aient doué Elle craint qu’elles aient doué. She fears they endowed.

Other Conjugations for Douer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 douer Subjonctif Passé tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts