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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb airer

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of airer. 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 airer is “to air” or “to ventilate.” The infinitive form, “airer,” is pronounced as “ay-ruh.”

The word “airer” is derived from the French word “air,” meaning air or wind. It is most often used in every day French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense.

Three examples of how “airer” is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense in everyday French are:

  1. J’espérais qu’elle avait bien airé la chambre avant notre arrivée. (I was hoping that she had properly ventilated the room before our arrival.)

  2. Il fallait que tu eusses airé le linge avant de le ranger. (You had to have aired the laundry before putting it away.)

  3. Je me demandais s’il avait airé la maison avant de partir en vacances. (I was wondering if he had ventilated the house before leaving for vacation.)

English translations:

  1. I was hoping that she had properly ventilated the room before our arrival.

  2. You had to have aired the laundry before putting it away.

  3. I was wondering if he had ventilated the house before leaving for vacation.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Airer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb airer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb airer
    (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 airer Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply