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

Introduction to the verb bricoler

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The English translation of the French verb bricoler is “to tinker” or “to do odd jobs.” It is pronounced “bree-koh-lay” in the infinitive form.

The word bricoler comes from the French noun bricolage, which means “do-it-yourself” or “handiwork.” It is derived from the Old French word bricole, which referred to a trifle or a small job. Bricoler is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical past action that occurred before another past action. It is also commonly used in the past tense to describe a specific action that took place in the past.

Examples of bricoler used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais toujours cru qu’il bricolait pour se distraire, mais en réalité, il avait réparé toute la maison avant de partir en vacances. (I had always thought he was tinkering to keep himself busy, but in reality, he had fixed the entire house before going on vacation.)

  2. Elle avait peur que son fils bricolât avec les outils dangereux de son mari. (She was afraid that her son would tinker with her husband’s dangerous tools.)

  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous ne bricoliez pas dans la cuisine lors de notre dîner en famille. (We would have appreciated it if you hadn’t been tinkering in the kitchen during our family dinner.)

English translations:

  1. I had always thought he was tinkering to keep himself busy, but in reality, he had fixed the entire house before going on vacation.
  2. She was afraid that her son would tinker with her husband’s dangerous tools.
  3. We would have appreciated it if you hadn’t been tinkering in the kitchen during our family dinner.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Bricoler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bricoler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bricoler – 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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