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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bâter

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The English translation of the French verb bâter is “to beat” or “to hit.” It is pronounced as “BAH-tay” in its infinitive form.

Bâter comes from the Old French word “batre,” which means “to beat.” It ultimately derives from the Latin word “battuere,” which has the same meaning.

Bâter is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a subjunctive tense used to express a hypothetical action that occurred before another past action. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of bâter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’étais heureux qu’il eût bâti le gâteau avant que je ne sois arrivé. (I was happy that he had baked the cake before I arrived.)
  2. Il fallait qu’elle eût bâti la pâte avant que le four ne fût prêt. (She had to have kneaded the dough before the oven was ready.)
  3. Nous étions surpris qu’ils eussent bâti la voiture eux-mêmes. (We were surprised that they had built the car themselves.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse bâté J’aurais aimé que je eusse bâté mes chevaux. I wish I had hitched my horses.
tu eusses bâté J’aurais aimé que tu eusses bâté tes chevaux. I wish you had hitched your horses.
il eût bâté J’aurais aimé qu’il eût bâté ses chevaux. I wish he had hitched his horses.
elle eût bâté J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût bâté ses chevaux. I wish she had hitched her horses.
on eût bâté J’aurais aimé qu’on eût bâté ses chevaux. I wish one had hitched their horses.
nous eussions bâté J’aurais aimé que nous eussions bâté nos chevaux. I wish we had hitched our horses.
vous eussiez bâté J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez bâté vos chevaux. I wish you had hitched your horses.
ils eussent bâté J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent bâté leurs chevaux. I wish they had hitched their horses.
elles eussent bâté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent bâté leurs chevaux. I wish they had hitched their horses.

Other Conjugations for Bâter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bâter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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