How to Use the French Past Subjunctive

How to Use the French Past Subjunctive The past subjunctive is used for the same reasons as the present subjunctive: to express emotion, doubts, and uncertainty. Before going on,  review the rules for using the  subjunctive  to make sure you understand them. Note that the only difference between the present subjunctive  and the past subjunctive  is tense; usage is the same for both. The past subjunctive is used when the verb in the subordinate clause, the verb that follows que, happened before the verb in the main clause. The past subjunctive can be used in a subordinate clause when the main clause is either in the present tense or the past tense. When the Main Clause is in the Present Tense Je suis heureuse que tu sois venu hier.   Im happy that you came yesterday.Nous avons peur quil na  pas mangà ©.   Were afraid that he didnt eat. When the Main Clause is in the Past Tense Or it may be used in a subordinate clause when the main clause is in the past tense. Note that if the main clause did not call for the subjunctive, the subordinate clause would have been in the past perfect, because the subordinate clause happened before the verb in the main clause. Therefore, the subordinate clause should technically be in the pluperfect subjunctive. But that is replaced by the past subjunctive in all but the most formal French. Il doutait que vous layez vu.   He doubted that you had seen it.Javais peur quils soient tombà ©s.   I was afraid that they had fallen. How to Compose the Past Subjunctive The French past subjunctive is a  compound conjugation, which means it has two parts: subjunctive  of the  auxiliary verb  (either  avoir  or  Ãƒ ªtre)past participle  of the main verb Like all French compound conjugations, the past subjunctive may be subject to a grammatical  agreement: When the auxiliary verb is  Ãƒ ªtre, the  past participle  must agree with the subject.When the auxiliary verb is  avoir, the past participle may have to agree with its  direct object.