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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avouer

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of avouer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb avouer is “to confess” or “to admit.” The infinitive form of avouer is pronounced “ah-voo-eh.”

The word avouer comes from the Old French verb “avouer” meaning “to acknowledge.” It has its roots in the Latin word “advocare,” which means “to call upon” or “to summon.” In everyday French, avouer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses actions or events that took place before another past action.

Here are 3 simple examples of avouer used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Il avait avoué qu’il avait volé l’argent avant que la police ne l’arrête. (He had confessed to stealing the money before the police arrested him.)

  2. Elle était partie avant qu’il n’ait avoué ses sentiments pour elle. (She had left before he admitted his feelings for her.)

  3. Nous avions avoué nos erreurs avant que nos parents ne nous punissent. (We had confessed our mistakes before our parents punished us.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Avouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the avouer Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply