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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embrouiller

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The English translation of the French verb embrouiller is “to confuse” or “to muddle.” The infinitive form of embrouiller is pronounced as “ahm-broo-yay.”

The word embrouiller comes from the Old French term “brouller” meaning “to mix up.” It is often used in everyday French to describe a state of confusion or disarray. In the Subjonctif Passé tense, it expresses a past possibility or uncertainty.

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

  1. Il est possible que j’aie embrouillé les papiers. (It is possible that I may have confused the papers.)
  2. Il est dommage que tu aies embrouillé l’histoire. (It is a shame that you may have muddled the story.)
  3. Il est important qu’il ait embrouillé les dates. (It is important that he may have mixed up the dates.)

English translations:

  1. It is possible that I may have confused the papers.
  2. It is a shame that you may have muddled the story.
  3. It is important that he may have mixed up the dates.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Embrouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embrouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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