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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bornoyer

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The English translation of the French verb bornoyer is “to size up” or “to glance with one eye.” It is pronounced as “bohr-nwah-yay.”

The origin of the verb bornoyer can be traced back to the Old French word “bornoier,” which means “to fix the limits.” It is derived from the word “borno,” which refers to an eye that is partially closed or squinting. In everyday French, the verb bornoyer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense.

Examples:

  1. Il avait bornoyé tous les invités avant de les laisser entrer chez lui. (He had sized up all the guests before letting them in his house.)
  2. J’étais sûr qu’elle m’avait bornoyé pendant tout le dîner. (I was sure she had been glancing at me the whole dinner.)
  3. Nous étions arrivés en retard, donc le patron nous avait bornoyés pendant toute la réunion. (We arrived late, so the boss had been scrutinizing us during the entire meeting.)

Translations:

  1. He had sized up all the guests before letting them in his house.
  2. I was sure she had been glancing at me the whole dinner.
  3. We arrived late, so the boss had been scrutinizing us during the entire meeting.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Bornoyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bornoyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bornoyer – 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.

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