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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb acheter

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The English translation of the French verb acheter is “to buy.” It is pronounced “ah-sheh-teh.”

The word acheter comes from the Old French word “achater,” which is derived from the Latin word “accapitare,” meaning “to adopt,” “to acquire,” or “to buy.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past event that is hypothetical or uncertain.

Examples of its usage in this tense include:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies déjà acheté les billets pour le concert. (I would have liked for you to have already bought the tickets for the concert.)

  2. Il fallait que nous ayons acheté les cadeaux avant la fête. (We had to have bought the gifts before the party.)

  3. J’espérais que vous eussiez acheté le livre que je vous ai recommandé. (I was hoping that you would have bought the book that I recommended to you.)

English translations:

  1. I wish you had already bought the tickets for the concert.

  2. We had to have bought the gifts before the party.

  3. I was hoping that you had bought the book that I recommended to you.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse acheté J’aurais aimé que je eusse acheté des fruits. I wish I had bought some fruits.
tu eusses acheté J’aurais aimé que tu eusses acheté un cadeau. I wish you had bought a gift.
il eût acheté J’aurais aimé qu’il eût acheté une nouvelle voiture. I wish he had bought a new car.
elle eût acheté J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût acheté une nouvelle robe. I wish she had bought a new dress.
on eût acheté J’aurais aimé qu’on eût acheté des billets pour le concert. I wish one had bought tickets for the concert.
nous eussions acheté J’aurais aimé que nous eussions acheté des légumes frais. I wish we had bought some fresh vegetables.
vous eussiez acheté J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez acheté une maison à la plage. I wish you had bought a house at the beach.
ils eussent acheté J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent acheté des souvenirs. I wish they had bought souvenirs.
elles eussent acheté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent acheté des livres. I wish they had bought books.

Other Conjugations for Acheter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb acheter
    (this article)

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Acheter – 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 acheter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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