Le Subjonctif Passé

French Subjunctive Past

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE

Last updated: 2023-03-25

Le Subjonctif Passé is used in the same circumstances as the present subjunctive but when referring to something completed before something else.

For example

Il faut que tu aies pris ta douche avant midi.You need to have had your shower before noon.

Il faut que je sois parti d'ici neuf heures.I have to have left by nine. I need to have left by nine.

See also: French Passé and All French tenses

Expressing "the most/least that I have (ever)..." with a superlative followed by the subjunctive mood in French (Le Subjonctif)
Bien que/quoique + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = although/though in French
Sans que (+ ne explétif) + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = Without doing in French
Conjugate verbs in the subjunctive past in French (Le Subjonctif Passé)
Avant que + ne explétif + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = Before I do in French
De peur que + ne explétif + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = for fear that in French
À moins que + ne explétif + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = Unless you do in French
Avoir besoin que + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = To need someone to do something in French
Que + the subjunctive mood (Le Subjonctif) = Whether you do something (or not) in French