Breakdown of Je suis bouleversé que le champion ait raté cet exploit.
je
I
être
to be
avoir
to have
ce
this (before a noun)
que
that (introducing a clause)
le champion
the champion
rater
to miss / to botch / ruin / to fail / go wrong
l'exploit
the feat (m)
bouleversé
overwhelmed
Questions & Answers about Je suis bouleversé que le champion ait raté cet exploit.
Why do we use ait raté instead of the regular passé composé (a raté) here?
The phrase Je suis bouleversé que expresses a strong emotion, which requires the subjunctive mood. Because the champion missed the feat in the past (before the present feeling of being devastated), we use the past subjunctive (subjonctif passé). It is built using the present subjunctive of the helper verb (avoir -> ait) plus the past participle (raté).
How strong is the emotion expressed by bouleversé?
If I wanted to say I was devastated that I myself missed the feat, would I still use the past subjunctive?
No. When the subject of the emotion and the subject of the action are the same person, French avoids the subjunctive. Instead, you use de followed by the past infinitive: Je suis bouleversé d'avoir raté cet exploit. We only use que + subjunctive when the subjects are different, like 'I' and 'the champion' in this sentence.
Does exploit have a negative meaning in French, like taking advantage of something?
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