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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb autopsier

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The English translation of the French verb autopsier is “to perform an autopsy.” It is pronounced as “oh-toh-pee-zee-ay.”

Autopsier comes from the Latin word “autopsia,” which means “a seeing for oneself.” In everyday French, it is most often used as a medical term to refer to the post-mortem examination of a body to determine the cause of death.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, autopsier is used to express a past action that is completed before another past action. It is formed by using the past subjunctive of avoir (avais, avais, avait, avions, aviez, avaient) or être (eusse, eusses, eût, eussions, eussiez, eussent) followed by the past participle of autopsier (autopsié).

Three simple examples of autopsier in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que le médecin ait autopsié le corps avant de pouvoir établir le certificat de décès. (The doctor had to have performed an autopsy on the body before being able to issue the death certificate.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que la famille ait demandé une autopsie pour comprendre les circonstances de la mort. (I wish the family had requested an autopsy to understand the circumstances of the death.)

  3. Nous étions choqués que le médecin n’eût pas encore autopsié le corps malgré la demande des autorités. (We were shocked that the doctor had not yet performed an autopsy despite the request from the authorities.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express an action that happened before another past action. The use of autopsier in this tense emphasizes the completed nature of the past action. These sentences can be translated in English using the past perfect tense, such as “had performed an autopsy,” “had requested an autopsy,” and “had not yet performed an autopsy.”

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

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

Other Conjugations for Autopsier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb autopsier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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

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