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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arnaquer

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The English translation of the French verb arnaquer is “to scam” or “to swindle.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ahr-nah-keh.”

The word arnaquer comes from the French word “arnaque,” meaning “scam” or “swindle.” It is believed to have originated from the Arabic word “harbun,” meaning “robbery” or “plunder.” In modern French, arnaquer is used in spoken and written language to describe fraudulent or deceitful actions.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, arnaquer is often used to express a hypothetical action that has already taken place in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of arnaquer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais peur qu’il m’ait arnaqué. (I was afraid that he had scammed me.)
  2. Elle doutait qu’ils aient arnaqué leur client. (She doubted that they had swindled their client.)
  3. Nous pensions que tu nous avais arnaqués. (We thought that you had scammed us.)

In these examples, the verb arnaquer is used to express a past action (scamming) that is uncertain or hypothetical. The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense adds a sense of doubt or speculation to the action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Arnaquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arnaquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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