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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adopter

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The English translation of the French verb adopter is “to adopt.” The infinitive form of adopter is pronounced “ah-dop-teh.”

Adopter comes from the Latin word “adoptare,” meaning “to choose or take as one’s own.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a compound tense used to talk about hypothetical or uncertain actions in the past.

Here are three simple examples of adopter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense and their English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies adopté un chien. (I would have liked for you to have adopted a dog.)

  2. Il était possible qu’elle eût adopté un régime végétarien. (It was possible that she had adopted a vegetarian diet.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous eussiez adopté une autre approche. (We would have preferred for you to have adopted a different approach.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Adopter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adopter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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