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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brésiller

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The English translation of the French verb brésiller is “to sparkle” or “to twinkle.” It is pronounced as “bray-zee-yay” in the infinitive form.

The word brésiller comes from the French word “bresil,” which means “Brazil.” In the 16th century, bresiller was used to describe the sparkles and glints on the surface of precious stones from Brazil, hence its meaning of “sparkle” in modern French.

In everyday French, brésiller is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical past action that would have 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 main verb.

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

  1. Il était encore en train de se baigner quand le soleil brésillait sur l’eau. (He was still swimming when the sun was sparkling on the water.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu voies le ciel nocturne hier soir, les étoiles brésillaient tellement! (I wish you had seen the night sky last night, the stars were sparkling so much!)
  3. Elle était en train de ranger ses bijoux quand elle a découvert une bague qui brésillait de mille feux. (She was putting away her jewelry when she discovered a ring that was sparkling like a thousand lights.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Brésiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brésiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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