Lesson 19 Flashcards
In this deck, you will learn about the past subjunctive and the simple past tense.
Translate to French:
I wanted you to do it
Je voulais que tu le fasses
Notice how the main verb is in the past, but how the subjunctive verb in the dependent clause is in the present subjunctive. This is a common (and grammatically correct) occurrence.
Translate to French:
You wanted him to come (to) see you, right?
Tu voulais qu’il vienne te voir, n’est-ce pas?
Here, the main action takes place in the past, but the present subjunctive is used in the dependent clause. This is because the action described there would have presumably occurred after the action of the main clause.
What is the past subjunctive and when is it used?
The past subjunctive is used in the same situations as the present subjunctive – following verbs or expressions denoting doubt, demands, opinions, emotions, or elements of subjectivity.
The only difference is that it’s used when the verb in the dependent clause (the subjunctive verb) describes an action that occurred before the action of the main verb.
Recall that there is no future subjunctive. The present subjunctive is used for future (subjunctive) actions.
How do you conjugate the past subjunctive?
Take the present subjunctive of the auxiliary verbs être or avoir, then add the appropriate past participle. For example, the first-person singular form of parler in the past subjunctive is j’aie parlé.
Translate to French:
I wanted you to have already done it (by then)
Je voulais que tu l’aies déjà fait
Here, the main action is in the past, so the subjunctive verb is in the past subjunctive. The action of the dependent clause (the subjunctive verb) takes place before the action of the main clause.
Translate to French:
It was important that you guys had given it to Paul
C’était important que vous l’ayez donné à Paul
Note the past subjunctive of donner. If the direct object pronoun l’ represented a feminine object, the past participle would be donnée.
Translate to French:
She doubted that we had understood. She doubted that we understood
Elle doutait que nous ayons compris. Elle doutait que nous comprenions
Note the past subjunctive of comprendre in the first sentence. The second sentence, on the other hand, uses the present subjunctive.
Translate to French:
It is good that she came
Il est bon qu’elle soit venue
The past subjunctive can be used even when the main action is in the present tense. This is perfectly acceptable as long as the action of the subjunctive verb takes place before the main action.
Translate to French:
I am sorry that you didn’t see Marc yesterday
Je suis désolé que tu n’aies pas vu Marc hier
Here, the main clause contains a verb in the present tense, but the subjunctive verb in the dependent clause is conjugated in the past subjunctive.
Translate to French:
It is the most beautiful city that I have seen
C’est la plus belle ville que j’aie vue
Recall that when a verb follows a superlative expression, it is typically in the subjunctive mood. Here, the past subjunctive is used. Also note how the past participle agrees with the preceding direct object.
Translate to French:
I don’t (wouldn’t) dare go to his birthday
Je n’ose pas aller à son anniversaire
to dare - oser. Note that si j’ose le dire means “if I dare say so” or “if I may say so.”
Translate to French:
Do you guys know where the dog was found?
Savez-vous où l’on a trouvé le chien?
In formal, written French, it is common to come across l’on in place of on. Adding the l’ is normally a matter of simply improving the way the resulting sentence/clause sounds. Here, l’on is used to avoid où on.
Translate to French:
Christophe cooks more than he eats
Christophe cuisine plus qu’il ne mange
In comparisons between verbs, the ne explétif is sometimes needed before the second verb, particularly after plus and moins.
Translate to French:
She doesn’t dare do it
Elle n’ose le faire
In written, formal French, there are certain verbs that can be negative by taking ne without pas. This pattern is called the ne littéraire, and some of the verbs that do not need pas to be negative are: oser, pouvoir, cesser, manger, and bouger.
What is the simple past tense?
The simple past tense (or passé simple) is a literary tense used to describe past actions. It is rarely used outside of literature and formal writing. Its equivalent is the passé composé.
Depending on the ending of the verb, the simple past tense can be conjugated in a few different ways.
How do you conjugate regular -ER verbs in the simple past?
Drop the -ER ending and add the following endings: -ai, -as, -a, -âmes, -âtes, -èrent.
Conjugate parler in the passé simple.
- je parlai
- tu parlas
- il/elle/on parla
- nous parlâmes
- vous parlâtes
- ils/elles parlèrent
Translate to French:
I ate some zebra in Africa (*simple past*)
Je mangeai du zèbre en Afrique
Note how -ger verbs like manger keep the “e” before “a” for the sake of pronunciation.
Translate to French:
Pierre looked at his mother (*simple past*)
Pierre regarda sa mère
Remember that this has the same meaning as Pierre a regardé sa mère.
Translate to French:
Yesterday he went to Guillaume’s house on foot (*simple past*)
Hier il alla chez Guillaume à pied
Note that aller is a regular verb in the simple past.
