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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb amputer

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The English translation of the French verb amputer is “to amputate.” It is pronounced as “ahm-puh-tey.”

The word “amputer” comes from the Latin word “amputare,” meaning “to prune or cut off.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain.

Examples:

  1. J’avais eu l’accident il y a deux ans et le médecin craignait que mon pied ait été amputé. (I had the accident two years ago and the doctor was afraid that my foot had been amputated.)

  2. Elle avait peur que la blessure ne s’infecte et qu’il faille l’amputer. (She was afraid that the wound would get infected and that it would have to be amputated.)

  3. Nous avions espéré que l’opération n’ait pas été nécessaire, mais malheureusement, il a fallu amputer sa jambe. (We had hoped that the surgery would not be necessary, but unfortunately, his leg had to be amputated.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse amputé Mon médecin voulait que je eusse amputé ma jambe. My doctor wanted me to have my leg amputated.
tu eusses amputé J’aurais préféré que tu eusses amputé son bras. I would have preferred that you had amputated his arm.
il eût amputé Il était possible que mon père eût amputé sa main. It was possible that my father had amputated his hand.
elle eût amputé Je ne pensais pas qu’elle eût amputé sa jambe. I didn’t think she had amputated her leg.
on eût amputé Il était important que nous eût amputé son doigt. It was important that we had amputated his finger.
nous eussions amputé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions amputé son pied. I wish we had amputated his foot.
vous eussiez amputé Nous aurions pu vous protéger si vous eussiez amputé votre bras. We could have protected you if you had amputated your arm.
ils eussent amputé Les médecins étaient surpris qu’ils eussent amputé leur queue. The doctors were surprised that they had amputated their tail.
elles eussent amputé Elles avaient peur que leur fille eussent amputé sa main. They were afraid that their daughter had amputated her hand.

Other Conjugations for Amputer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb amputer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Amputer – 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.

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