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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balancer

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The English translation of the French verb balancer is “to balance.” It is pronounced as “bah-lahn-say.”

The word “balancer” comes from the Latin word “balanço,” meaning “scale” or “balance.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place in the past.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies balancé tes idées avant de prendre une décision. (I wish you had balanced your ideas before making a decision.)
  2. Il semblait que j’eusse balancé entre deux options, mais j’ai finalement choisi la plus sûre. (It seemed that I had balanced between two options, but I ultimately chose the safer one.)
  3. Elle aurait préféré que nous ayons balancé nos opinions avant de commencer le projet. (She would have preferred that we had balanced our opinions before starting the project.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse balancé Si j’avais su, j’aurais fait comme si j’eusse balancé. If I had known, I would have acted as if I had swung.
tu eusses balancé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses balancé. I wish you had swung.
il eût balancé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût balancé. I wish he had swung.
elle eût balancé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût balancé. I wish she had swung.
on eût balancé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût balancé. I wish one had swung.
nous eussions balancé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions balancé. I wish we had swung.
vous eussiez balancé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez balancé. I wish you had swung.
ils eussent balancé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent balancé. I wish they had swung.
elles eussent balancé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent balancé. I wish they had swung.

Other Conjugations for Balancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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