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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb adultérer

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The English translation of the French verb adultérer is “to adulterate.” It is pronounced as “a-dult-e-ré.”

Adultérer comes from the Latin word “adulterare,” meaning “to corrupt or falsify.” It was first used in the French language in the 14th century to describe the act of contaminating or altering something, especially in food or drinks. It can also refer to altering documents or evidence.

In everyday French, adultérer is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that took place before another past action. It is often used in formal or legal contexts.

Example 1: Il est possible que le vin ait été adultéré avant d’être vendu. (It is possible that the wine had been adulterated before being sold.)

Example 2: Je doute que les documents aient été adultérés pour cacher la vérité. (I doubt that the documents were adulterated to hide the truth.)

Example 3: La nourriture a été rappelée après avoir découvert qu’elle avait été adultérée avec des produits chimiques. (The food was recalled after discovering that it had been adulterated with chemicals.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse adultéré J’aurais été surpris que je eusse adultéré. I would have been surprised if I had adulterated.
tu eusses adultéré J’aurais été surpris que tu eusses adultéré. I would have been surprised if you had adulterated.
il eût adultéré J’aurais été surpris qu’il eût adultéré. I would have been surprised if he had adulterated.
elle eût adultérée J’aurais été surprise qu’elle eût adultérée. I would have been surprised if she had adulterated.
on eût adultéré J’aurais été surpris qu’on eût adultéré. I would have been surprised if one had adulterated.
nous eussions adultéré J’aurais été surpris que nous eussions adultéré. I would have been surprised if we had adulterated.
vous eussiez adultéré J’aurais été surpris que vous eussiez adultéré. I would have been surprised if you had adulterated.
ils eussent adultéré J’aurais été surpris qu’ils eussent adultéré. I would have been surprised if they had adulterated.
elles eussent adultéré J’aurais été surprise qu’elles eussent adultéré. I would have been surprised if they had adulterated.

Other Conjugations for Adultérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb adultérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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