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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affiner

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of affiner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb affiner is “to refine” or “to perfect.” The infinitive form, affiner, is pronounced as “ah-fee-nay.”

The word affiner comes from the Latin word “ad finem,” which means “to the end.” It was originally used in reference to bringing something to its desired end or perfection. In everyday French, affiner is commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that happened in the past and was completed before another action in the past.

Some examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais affiné mon projet avant que je ne le présente à mon patron. (I had refined my project before presenting it to my boss.)
  2. Nous avions affiné notre stratégie avant que la concurrence ne nous rattrape. (We had perfected our strategy before the competition caught up with us.)
  3. Elle avait affiné ses compétences avant que son entreprise ne la promeuve. (She had honed her skills before her company promoted her.)

In each of these examples, the action of affiner (refining) was completed before the action in the subordinate clause (presenting the project, competition catching up, promotion).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Affiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the affiner Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply