Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb abaisser

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The English translation of the French verb “abaisser” is “to lower” or “to bring down.” The infinitive form of abaisser is pronounced as “ah-bay-say.”

The verb “abaisser” originates from the Old French word “abaissier,” which evolved from the Latin word “bassiāre,” meaning “to lower.” In everyday French, abaisser is commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses actions that are hypothetical or contrary to reality in the past.

Three examples of the usage of abaisser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations, are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu l’abaissses plus tôt.
    (I would have liked you to have lowered it earlier.)
  2. Il aurait fallu que nous l’abaisssions avant de partir.
    (We should have brought it down before leaving.)
  3. Elle aurait préféré que vous n’abaisssiez pas le volume.
    (She would have preferred that you didn’t lower the volume.)

Please note that the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is not frequently used in everyday speech but is more commonly found in formal writing or in specific contexts.

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of abaisser

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse abaissé J’aurais aimé que je eusse abaissé. I wish I had lowered.
tu eusses abaissé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses abaissé. I wish you had lowered.
il eût abaissé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût abaissé. I wish he had lowered.
elle eût abaissé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût abaissé. I wish she had lowered.
on eût abaissé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût abaissé. I wish one had lowered.
nous eussions abaissé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions abaissé. I wish we had lowered.
vous eussiez abaissé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez abaissé. I wish you had lowered.
ils eussent abaissé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent abaissé. I wish they had lowered.
elles eussent abaissé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent abaissé. I wish they had lowered.

Other Conjugations for Abaisser.

Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser 

Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser 

Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser 

Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser 

Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser 

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser (this article)

Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Conditionnel Passé II (Conditional Past II) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

L’impératif Passé (Imperative Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

L’infinitif Passé (Infinitive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Le Participe Présent (Present Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

Le Participe Passé (Past Participle) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb abaisser

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Abaisser – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb abaisser. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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