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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douter

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The English translation of the French verb douter is “to doubt.” It is pronounced “doo-tay” in its infinitive form.

The origin of douter can be traced back to the Old French word “doter,” which meant “to doubt” or “to fear.” It is primarily used in everyday French to express uncertainty or skepticism about something.

In the Subjonctif Passé tense, douter is used to express doubt or uncertainty about an action that has already taken place. It is often used in conjunction with other verbs, such as “espérer” (to hope) or “croire” (to believe).

Example 1: J’espérais qu’il avait réussi à l’examen, mais je doutais qu’il ait bien étudié.
Translation: I was hoping he had passed the exam, but I doubted he had studied well.

Example 2: Nous croyions qu’elle avait déménagé, mais nous doutions qu’elle se soit installée dans un nouvel appartement.
Translation: We thought she had moved, but we doubted she had settled in a new apartment.

Example 3: Il était fier de son travail, mais il doutait que ses collègues aient apprécié ses efforts.
Translation: He was proud of his work, but he doubted his colleagues had appreciated his efforts.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie douté Elle craint que j’aie douté. She fears I doubted.
tu aies douté Je suis sûr que tu aies douté. I’m sure you doubted.
il ait douté Il est possible qu’il ait douté. It’s possible he doubted.
elle ait douté Elle espère qu’elle ait douté. She hopes she doubted.
on ait douté On veut qu’on ait douté. We want it to have been doubted.
nous ayons douté Nous doutons que nous ayons douté. We doubt we doubted.
vous ayez douté Il est important que vous ayez douté. It’s important that you doubted.
ils aient douté Ils espèrent qu’ils aient douté. They hope they doubted.
elles aient douté Elles préfèrent qu’elles aient douté. They prefer they doubted.

Other Conjugations for Douter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Douter – 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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