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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affûter

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The English translation of the French verb affûter is “to sharpen.” It is pronounced “ah-foo-tay.”

The word affûter comes from the Old French word “afoitier,” which means “to sharpen.” It is derived from the Latin word “ad,” meaning “to,” and “futus,” meaning “point.” In everyday French, affûter is used to refer to the action of sharpening a blade or tool, or to describe making something more precise or efficient.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, affûter is used to express an action that occurred before another action in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of affûter.

Here are three examples of affûter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’espérais qu’il eût affûté ses couteaux avant de commencer à cuisiner. (I was hoping he had sharpened his knives before starting to cook.)

  2. Elle aurait aimé que vous eussiez affûté votre esprit avant de faire l’examen. (She would have liked you to have sharpened your mind before taking the exam.)

  3. Nous regrettions qu’ils eussent affûté leurs arguments avant le débat. (We regretted that they had sharpened their arguments before the debate.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse affûté J’aurais aimé que je eusse affûté mon couteau. I wish I had sharpened my knife.
tu eusses affûté J’aurais aimé que tu eusses affûté ton couteau. I wish you had sharpened your knife.
il eût affûté J’aurais aimé qu’il eût affûté son couteau. I wish he had sharpened his knife.
elle eût affûté J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût affûté son couteau. I wish she had sharpened her knife.
on eût affûté J’aurais aimé qu’on eût affûté son couteau. I wish one had sharpened their knife.
nous eussions affûté J’aurais aimé que nous eussions affûté nos couteaux. I wish we had sharpened our knives.
vous eussiez affûté J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez affûté vos couteaux. I wish you had sharpened your knives.
ils eussent affûté J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent affûté leurs couteaux. I wish they had sharpened their knives.
elles eussent affûté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent affûté leurs couteaux. I wish they had sharpened their knives.

Other Conjugations for Affûter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affûter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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