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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb aiguilleter

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The English translation of the French verb aiguilleter is “to prick” or “to poke.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ay-gwee-yet-ay.”

The word aiguilleter comes from the noun aiguille, meaning “needle,” and the suffix -er, which is added to verbs to form the infinitive. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express an action that happened before another action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Example 1: J’avais aiguilleté mon doigt avant qu’il n’ait commencé à saigner. (I had pricked my finger before it started bleeding.)

Example 2: Elle avait aiguillété les ballons avant que la fête ne soit annulée. (She had poked the balloons before the party was cancelled.)

Example 3: Nous avions aiguilleté les épingles avant qu’elles ne soient utilisées. (We had pricked the pins before they were used.)

In these examples, aiguilleter is used to describe an action that had already happened before another action in the past. The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is often used in narrations or storytelling to add depth and detail to the timeline of events.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Aiguilleter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb aiguilleter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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