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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bourgeonner

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The English translation of the French verb bourgeonner is “to bud” or “to sprout.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “boor-zhuh-nay.”

Bourgeonner comes from the Old French word “bourgeon,” meaning “bud” or “sprout.” It is derived from the Latin word “burra,” meaning “bud” or “shoot.”

In everyday French, bourgeonner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past subjunctive tense used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imperfect Subjunctive form, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of bourgeonner in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que les fleurs aient bourgeonné plus tôt. (I wish the flowers had budded earlier.)
  2. Il était étonnant que les arbres eussent bourgeonné en plein hiver. (It was astonishing that the trees had sprouted in the middle of winter.)
  3. Nous aurions voulu que les légumes aient bourgeonné dans notre jardin. (We would have liked the vegetables to have sprouted in our garden.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or unrealized action in the past. The verb bourgeonner is conjugated in this tense to indicate that the action of budding or sprouting did not actually occur.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Bourgeonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bourgeonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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