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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb châtrer

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The English translation of the French verb châtrer is “to castrate.” It is pronounced “sha-treh.”

The word châtrer comes from the Latin word “castrare,” meaning “to castrate.” It is most commonly used in French to refer to the surgical removal of the testicles in male animals.

In everyday French, the verb châtrer is rarely used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past, often in a reported speech or with expressions of doubt or uncertainty.

Example 1: Il avait peur que son chien ait été châtré. (He was afraid that his dog had been castrated.)
Example 2: Je doutais que le chat ait été châtré avant son adoption. (I doubted that the cat had been castrated before its adoption.)
Example 3: Elle se demandait si le cheval avait été châtré avant la course. (She wondered if the horse had been castrated before the race.)

Translation:
Example 1: He was afraid that his dog had been castrated.
Example 2: I doubted that the cat had been castrated before its adoption.
Example 3: She wondered if the horse had been castrated before the race.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Châtrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb châtrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Châtrer – 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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