Breakdown of C'est injuste que vous nous ayez soupçonnés.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
vous
you (plural/formal)
avoir
to have
c'est
it is, that is
que
that (introducing a clause)
soupçonner
to suspect
injuste
unfair
Questions & Answers about C'est injuste que vous nous ayez soupçonnés.
Why use the subjonctif passé here instead of the passé composé?
The phrase C'est injuste que expresses a personal judgment, which is a classic trigger for the subjunctive mood. Because the suspecting already happened in the past, we use the past subjunctive. You form it by putting the auxiliary avoir into the present subjunctive (ayez) and adding the past participle (soupçonné).
Why is there an -s at the end of soupçonnés? I thought verbs conjugated with avoir didn't need agreement.
Why is nous placed in front of ayez instead of in front of soupçonnés?
In all French compound tenses, including the past subjunctive, object pronouns must go immediately before the conjugated auxiliary verb. Since ayez is the conjugated auxiliary here, nous has to be placed right in front of it.
Could I say C'est injuste de nous avoir soupçonnés instead?
Yes, but it slightly changes the focus. C'est injuste de nous avoir soupçonnés means 'It is unfair to have suspected us,' which is a more general statement. By using que vous, the sentence specifically points out that 'you' are the one who did the suspecting, which requires a new clause and the subjunctive mood.
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