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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chevronner

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The English translation of the French verb chevronner is “to zigzag” or “to zig and zag.” It is pronounced “shev-ron-ay.”

The language origin of chevronner is derived from the noun “chevron,” which means “zigzag” or “V-shaped pattern.” The verb form adds the suffix “-er” to indicate the action of zigzagging.

In everyday French, chevronner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’espérais que tu aies chevronné avant que le terrain devienne trop difficile. (I was hoping that you had zigzagged before the terrain became too difficult.)
  2. Il faut que nous ayons chevronné avant que la tempête n’arrive. (We must have zigzagged before the storm arrives.)
  3. J’avais peur qu’ils n’eussent chevronné dans la mauvaise direction. (I was afraid that they had zigzagged in the wrong direction.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express an unreal action (chevronner) that occurred before another past action (the terrain becoming difficult, the storm arriving, or going in the wrong direction).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse chevronné Il aurait préféré que je eusse chevronné. He would have preferred that I had chevronned.
tu eusses chevronné Mais je me demande si tu eusses chevronné. But I wonder if you would have chevronned.
il eût chevronné Il aurait pu le faire si seulement il eût chevronné. He could have done it if only he had chevronned.
elle eût chevronné Je ne pense pas qu’elle eût chevronné. I don’t think she would have chevronned.
on eût chevronné Mais si on eût chevronné, on aurait gagné. But if one had chevronned, one would have won.
nous eussions chevronné Nous aurions dû le faire si seulement nous eussions chevronné. We should have done it if only we had chevronned.
vous eussiez chevronné Mais vous auriez dû chevronner plus tôt. But you should have chevronned earlier.
ils eussent chevronné On aurait pu gagner si seulement ils eussent chevronné. We could have won if only they had chevronned.
elles eussent chevronné Mais elles n’auraient jamais dû chevronner. But they never should have chevronned.

Other Conjugations for Chevronner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chevronner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chevronner – 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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