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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bâcler

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of bâcler. 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 bâcler is “to do something in a hasty/careless manner” or “to botch something up”. It is pronounced as “bah-klay”.

The origin of the word bâcler comes from the Old French word “baculer” which means “to bend down or fall”. It is derived from the Latin word “baculum” which means “stick” or “cane”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a compound tense used to express an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Example 1: J’avais bâclé mon travail avant que mon patron ne revienne. (I had botched up my work before my boss came back.)
Example 2: Elle était furieuse que j’aie bâclé les préparatifs pour la fête. (She was furious that I had hurriedly done the preparations for the party.)
Example 3: Nous avions bâclé notre présentation avant que la connexion Internet ne tombe en panne. (We had hastily done our presentation before the internet connection went down.)

In these examples, bâcler is used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense to show that the action of botching something up was completed before another action in the past. The subjonctif plus-que-parfait is used in situations where there is doubt or uncertainty about the action taking place. In these examples, there is doubt or regret about the action of bâcler and its consequences. The English translations reflect this uncertainty or regret.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse bâclé Il était important que je eusse bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that I had rushed the work on time.
tu eusses bâclé Il était important que tu eusses bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that you had rushed the work on time.
il eût bâclé Il était important qu’il eût bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that he had rushed the work on time.
elle eût bâclé Il était important qu’elle eût bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that she had rushed the work on time.
on eût bâclé Il était important qu’on eût bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that one had rushed the work on time.
nous eussions bâclé Il était important que nous eussions bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that we had rushed the work on time.
vous eussiez bâclé Il était important que vous eussiez bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that you had rushed the work on time.
ils eussent bâclé Il était important qu’ils eussent bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that they had rushed the work on time.
elles eussent bâclé Il était important qu’elles eussent bâclé le travail à temps. It was important that they had rushed the work on time.

Other Conjugations for Bâcler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bâcler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bâcler
    (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 bâcler Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

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

ByMichael Burns

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of en inquiéter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required).

Leave a Reply