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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb border

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The English translation of the French verb border is “to border” or “to border on.” It is pronounced as “bohr-déh.”

The word “border” comes from the Old French word “bordure,” which means “edge” or “border.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “borda,” meaning “edge.”

In everyday French, the verb border is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. It is often used after expressions such as “il est possible que” (it is possible that) or “il aurait fallu que” (it would have been necessary that).

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il est possible que je n’aie pas vu la frontière en traversant. (It is possible that I did not see the border while crossing.)
  2. Il aurait fallu que tu borderas la robe avant de la coudre. (You should have hemmed the dress before sewing it.)
  3. Il est dommage que les deux pays aient toujours été en conflit, malgré leur proximité géographique. (It is a shame that the two countries have always been in conflict, despite their geographical proximity.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Border.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb border
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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