When you express doubt, emotion, or judgment about an event that has already happened, you must use the past subjunctive (le subjonctif passé).
Forming the past subjunctive
Like the passé composé, the past subjunctive is a compound tense. You form it using an auxiliary verb (avoir or être) plus a past participle. The only difference is that the auxiliary verb is conjugated in the present subjunctive.
Most verbs use avoir. Here is a quick reminder of its present subjunctive forms:
| Pronoun | Avoir (Subj.) | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| je / j' | aie | demandé |
| tu | aies | demandé |
| il / elle / on | ait | demandé |
| nous | ayons | demandé |
| vous | ayez | demandé |
| ils / elles | aient | demandé |
Let's see this in action with some office gossip. Notice how the emotion, doubt, or judgment is in the present, but the action they refer to is already complete:
| It's possible that he shared the secret. | Il est possible qu'il ait partagé la confidence. |
| I'm surprised that you heard this secret. | Je suis surpris que tu aies entendu cette confidence. |
| It's unfair that you suspected us. | C'est injuste que vous nous ayez soupçonnés. |
Triggers for the past subjunctive
Any phrase or structure that triggers the present subjunctive will trigger the past subjunctive if the action is in the past. This includes superlative expressions (like le pire) and specific conjunctions (like sans que).
| It's the worst favoritism I have ever seen. | C'est le pire favoritisme que j'aie jamais vu. |
| The replacement is resigning without you having spoken to him. | Le remplaçant démissionne sans que tu lui aies parlé. |
Verbs conjugated with être
Just like in the passé composé, a specific group of verbs (mostly involving motion or a change of state) use être as their auxiliary verb instead of avoir. For these, conjugate être in the present subjunctive (sois, sois, soit, soyons, soyez, soient).
Remember that past participles used with être must agree in gender and number with the subject.
| I'm glad the replacement arrived. | Je suis content que le remplaçant soit arrivé. |
Finally, if you want to express that someone "was" something in the past subjunctive, the main verb is être. Like most verbs, it takes avoir as its auxiliary, and its past participle is été.
| I am surprised that the intern was indiscreet. | Je suis surpris que le stagiaire ait été indiscret. |