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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avoisiner

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The English translation of the French verb avoisiner is “to be close to” or “to border on.” It is pronounced “ah-vwah-zeen-ay.”

The word avoisiner comes from the Old French word “avoisiner,” which means “to be close to” or “to neighbor.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “vici,” which means “to be near” or “to lie near.”

In everyday French, avoisiner is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the subjonctif imparfait form, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Example 1: Si j’avais suivi mes rêves, j’aurais avoisiné les étoiles. (If I had followed my dreams, I would have been close to the stars.)
Example 2: Nous aurions pu avoisiner le bonheur, si seulement nous nous étions réconciliés. (We could have been close to happiness, if only we had reconciled.)
Example 3: Il m’avait dit qu’il aurait avoisiné les 30 ans à cette époque. (He had told me he would have been close to 30 at that time.)

In each of these examples, the use of avoisiner in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense expresses an unrealized or hypothetical situation in the past. The English translations reflect this with the use of “would have” and the conditional tense.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Avoisiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoisiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Avoisiner – 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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