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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balader

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The English translation of the French verb balader is “to take a stroll or walk”. The infinitive form, balader, is pronounced as “bah-lah-day”.

The word “balader” originated from the Old French word “baller” which means “to dance”. It was later influenced by the word “balle” which means “ball” or “round object” and evolved to have the meaning of “to take a stroll or walk”.

In everyday French, the verb balader is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action or state that happened before another action in the past. It is often used with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle form of the verb.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu te sois baladé dans le parc avant de partir. (I wish you had taken a walk in the park before leaving.)

  2. Il était content que nous nous soyons baladés en ville ensemble. (He was happy that we had taken a stroll in the city together.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous vous soyez baladés sur la plage plutôt que de rester à la maison. (We would have preferred if you had gone for a walk on the beach instead of staying at home.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past unrealized wish or preference. The auxiliary verb “avoir” is conjugated in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait form and the past participle form of balader is added to form the verb phrase.

English translations of these sentences would be:

  1. I wish you had taken a walk in the park before leaving.

  2. He was happy that we had taken a stroll in the city together.

  3. We would have preferred if you had gone for a walk on the beach instead of staying at home.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Balader.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balader
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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