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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alerter

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The English translation of the French verb alerter is “to alert” or “to warn.” The infinitive form, alerter, is pronounced “ah-layr-tay.”

The verb alerter comes from the French noun alerte, which means “alert” or “alarm.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of notifying or warning someone about a potential danger or problem.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, alerter is used to express a hypothetical warning or notification that could have occurred in the past. It is typically formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Subjonctif Imparfait followed by the past participle of alerter.

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

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies alerté plus tôt. (I wish you had alerted me earlier.)
  2. Il aurait fallu que nous soyons alertés des risques avant de partir. (We should have been warned about the risks before leaving.)
  3. Si elle avait été alertée, elle ne serait pas tombée dans le piège. (If she had been alerted, she wouldn’t have fallen into the trap.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Alerter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alerter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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