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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cartonner

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The English translation of the French verb cartonner is “to succeed” or “to be successful.” It is pronounced as “kar-ton-nay” in the infinitive form.

The word “cartonner” comes from the French noun “carton,” meaning “cardboard.” This verb was originally used to describe the act of making something out of cardboard, but over time it has evolved to mean “to succeed” or “to be successful.” In everyday French, it is mostly used in informal contexts and can have a colloquial or slang connotation.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, cartonner can express the idea of “having been successful” in the past. Here are three examples of its usage:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu cartonnes à ton examen. (I wish you had been successful in your exam.)

  2. Il était triste que nous n’ayons pas cartonné à la compétition. (He was sad that we hadn’t been successful in the competition.)

  3. Je n’avais pas imaginé qu’ils eussent cartonné à leur concert. (I hadn’t imagined that they had been successful in their concert.)

English translations:

  1. I wish you had succeeded in your exam.

  2. He was sad that we hadn’t excelled in the competition.

  3. I hadn’t imagined that they had rocked their concert.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Cartonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cartonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cartonner – 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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