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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emmêler

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The English translation of the French verb emmêler is “to tangle.” It is pronounced [e-meh-leh].

The word emmêler comes from the Latin word “inmiscere,” meaning “to mix in.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and was originally used in the sense of mixing or blending in a physical sense. Over time, it has evolved to also mean to confuse or complicate a situation.

In everyday French, emmêler is most often used in the Subjonctif Passé tense to express doubt, uncertainty, or possibility. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Présent tense, followed by the past participle of emmêler.

Here are three simple examples of emmêler in the Subjonctif Passé tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il est possible que tu aies emmêlé les fils. (It is possible that you tangled the wires).
  2. Je doute qu’il ait encore emmêlé les cartes. (I doubt he has tangled the cards again).
  3. Il faut que nous ayons emmêlé les affaires lors du déménagement. (We must have tangled the belongings during the move).

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Passé tense is used to express uncertainty or doubt about an action that has taken place in the past. It suggests that the action may or may not have happened, but there is a possibility that it did.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je aie emmêlé Il est peu probable que j’aie emmêlé tout ça. It’s unlikely that I tangled all that up.
tu aies emmêlé Il faut que tu aies emmêlé les fils. You must have tangled the threads.
il ait emmêlé Il se peut qu’il ait emmêlé les cordes. It’s possible he tangled the ropes.
elle ait emmêlé Elle doute qu’elle ait emmêlé ses cheveux. She doubts she tangled her hair.
on ait emmêlé On préfère qu’on ait emmêlé les idées. We prefer our thoughts to have been muddled.
nous ayons emmêlé Nous aimerions que nous ayons emmêlé les choses. We would like to have tangled things up.
vous ayez emmêlé Il est essentiel que vous ayez emmêlé les cordons. It’s essential that you tangled the cords.
ils aient emmêlé Ils espèrent qu’ils aient emmêlé les fils ensemble. They hope they tangled the threads together.
elles aient emmêlé Elles n’aiment pas qu’elles aient emmêlé leurs vêtements. They don’t like that they tangled their clothes.

Other Conjugations for Emmêler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emmêler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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