How to Teach the French Past Subjunctive – Le Subjonctif Passé – A French Teacher’s Guide
The French past subjunctive, or le subjonctif passé, is much easier to teach when students already understand the present subjunctive.
Rather than treating it as an entirely new structure, I teach it by having students focus on two questions:
Does the main clause require the subjunctive?
Has the action in the subordinate clause already been completed?
Once students understand those two ideas, the formation of the past subjunctive becomes much more straightforward.
French Past Subjunctive – Grammar Notes Bookmark
Looking for more resources to help you teach the French past subjunctive? Scroll down to the section at the end of this post to see my ready-to-use resources for this topic.
Start with what the past subjunctive means
The subjonctif passé is used to express doubt, emotion, necessity, or opinion about something that has already happened.
For example:
Je suis content qu’il soit venu.
I am happy that he came.
Je doute qu’elle ait réussi.
I doubt she succeeded.
In both examples, the main clause triggers the subjunctive, but the action in the subordinate clause has already been completed.
That’s the distinction I want students to recognize.
Remind students that the main clause must trigger the subjunctive
Before I introduce the formation, I go back to something students already know about the subjunctive.
The fact that an action happened in the past does not, by itself, mean that we use the past subjunctive.
First, the main clause has to require the subjunctive.
I have students look for expressions involving things like:
- emotion
- doubt
- necessity
- opinion
- regret
Once they’ve identified the subjunctive trigger, I have them think about when the action in the subordinate clause takes place.
Ask whether the action is already completed
This is the question that helps students decide between the present subjunctive and the past subjunctive.
If the action is ongoing or not completed, I use the present subjunctive.
If the action has already been completed, I use the past subjunctive.
For example:
Je veux qu’il vienne.
I want him to come.
Je veux qu’il soit venu.
I want him to have come.
And:
Je doute qu’elle réussisse.
I doubt she will succeed.
Je doute qu’elle ait réussi.
I doubt she succeeded.
I like putting these examples side by side because students can see that the difference is about the timing of the action, not a completely different use of the subjunctive.
Explain how the past subjunctive is formed
Once students understand when to use it, I move on to formation.
The past subjunctive is a compound tense made with:
subjunctive of avoir or être + past participle
This is another place where I remind students to use what they already know.
They already know how to form past participles, and they already know the present subjunctive.
Now they’re combining the two.
Start with avoir
I begin with avoir, since it is the helping verb students will use most often.
I review the present subjunctive of avoir:
que j’aie
que tu aies
qu’il/elle ait
que nous ayons
que vous ayez
qu’ils/elles aient
Then I add the past participle.
For example:
que j’aie parlé
que tu aies fini
qu’il/elle ait choisi
que nous ayons vendu
que vous ayez compris
qu’ils/elles aient répondu
I want students to see the formation as a pattern rather than as six completely new verb forms.
subjunctive of avoir + past participle
Move on to être
Next, I show students what happens with verbs that use être.
I review the present subjunctive of être:
que je sois
que tu sois
qu’il/elle soit
que nous soyons
que vous soyez
qu’ils/elles soient
Then I add the past participle:
que je sois allé(e)
que tu sois sorti(e)
qu’il/elle soit arrivé(e)
que nous soyons parti(e)s
que vous soyez venu(e)(s)
qu’ils/elles soient resté(e)s
I remind students that the past participle agrees when être is used as the helping verb.
Make students choose the helping verb
At this point, I don’t want students thinking of the past subjunctive as a completely new conjugation system.
I have them go through the same process they already use with other compound tenses.
First:
Does the verb use avoir or être?
Then:
Put the helping verb into the present subjunctive.
Then:
Add the past participle.
And if they’re using être:
Check the agreement.
This gives students a clear process to follow.
I have lots of different activities I like to use to practice forming the past subjunctive. Scroll all the way down to take a look at what I use.
Practice the past subjunctive with different triggers
Once students understand the formation, I give them examples with different reasons for using the subjunctive.
Emotion
Je suis content qu’il ait réussi.
I am happy that he succeeded.
The expression je suis content que expresses emotion, so the subjunctive is required. The action of succeeding has already happened, so we use the past subjunctive.
Doubt
Je ne crois pas qu’elle soit venue.
I don’t think she came.
Here, je ne crois pas que expresses doubt, and the action of coming is already completed.
Necessity
Il faut que nous ayons fini avant midi.
We must have finished before noon.
The expression il faut que requires the subjunctive. Because the action is considered completed, I use the past subjunctive.
Opinion or regret
Je regrette qu’ils aient pris cette décision.
I regret that they made that decision.
Again, the main clause triggers the subjunctive, and the action in the subordinate clause has already happened.
I like using several different triggers because I want students to understand that the past subjunctive isn’t tied to one particular expression.
Compare the present subjunctive and past subjunctive
This is an important part of my lesson because students need to understand that the two forms are related.
I give them pairs of sentences and have them focus on the timing of the action.
Je veux qu’il vienne.
I want him to come.
Je veux qu’il soit venu.
I want him to have come.
Then:
Je doute qu’elle réussisse.
I doubt she will succeed.
Je doute qu’elle ait réussi.
I doubt she succeeded.
I ask students what has changed.
The subjunctive trigger hasn’t changed.
What has changed is the time of the action in the subordinate clause.
That is the distinction I want them to understand.
Give students a step-by-step method
Once we’ve worked through the examples, I give students a process they can use when they need to form the past subjunctive.
Identify the trigger
First, look at the main clause.
Does it express emotion, doubt, necessity, opinion, regret, or another idea that requires the subjunctive?
Check the timing
Next, ask:
Has the action in the subordinate clause already been completed?
If yes, use the subjonctif passé.
If not, use the subjonctif présent.
Choose the helping verb
Determine whether the verb uses avoir or être.
Then put the helping verb into the present subjunctive.
Add the past participle
Add the past participle.
If you’re using être, check the agreement.
Build the sentence
Finally, combine the clauses using que.
I find that giving students this process makes the past subjunctive much less intimidating. Instead of trying to remember an isolated set of forms, they can work through the sentence logically.
Keep bringing students back to the two questions
When students get stuck, I bring them back to the same two questions:
Does the main clause require the subjunctive?
Has the action already been completed?
Those two questions tell students what they need to know before they even start conjugating.
If the main clause requires the subjunctive and the subordinate action has already been completed, they’re ready for the subjonctif passé.
Practice the French Past Subjunctive!
If your students are ready to practice le subjonctif passé, these resources give them additional practice with the formation and use of the French past subjunctive.
French Verb Conjugation Drill – 30 Irregular Verbs in the Past Subjunctive
French Past Subjunctive Regular and Irregular Verbs Game – Connect 4 Activity
French Past Subjunctive Conjugation Review Dice Game
French Past Subjunctive – Grammar Notes Bookmark
