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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb associer

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The English translation of associer is “to associate.” It is pronounced as “uh-so-see-ay.”

The language origin of associer can be traced back to the Latin word “associare,” which means “to join or unite with.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that did not happen.

Examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais peur qu’il n’ait pas associé le bon numéro avec le bon nom. (I was afraid that he had not associated the right number with the right name.)
  2. Elle craignait que nous n’ayons pas associé les couleurs correctement. (She feared that we had not associated the colors correctly.)
  3. Nous étions déçus que tu n’aies pas associé ta réussite à notre soutien. (We were disappointed that you did not associate your success with our support.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse associé Je regrette que je eusse associé avec lui. I regret that I had associated with him.
tu eusses associé J’espère que tu eusses associé avec elle. I hope you had associated with her.
il eût associé Il était important que tu eût associé avec eux. It was important that he had associated with them.
elle eût associé Elle m’avait dit qu’elle eût associé avec le groupe. She had told me she had associated with the group.
on eût associé Je n’aurais jamais pensé qu’on eût associé ces deux idées. I never would have thought that one had associated these two ideas.
nous eussions associé Nous aurions aimé que nous eussions associé nos efforts. We would have liked that we had associated our efforts.
vous eussiez associé J’aurais apprécié que vous eussiez associé avec eux. I would have appreciated that you had associated with them.
ils eussent associé Je ne suis pas sûr que j’aurais choisi qu’ils eussent associé leurs noms. I’m not sure I would have chosen for them to have associated their names.
elles eussent associé Je doute qu’elles eussent associé ces deux couleurs ensemble. I doubt they would have associated these two colors together.

Other Conjugations for Associer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb associer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Associer – 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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