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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chiffrer

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The English translation of the French verb chiffrer is “to encrypt” or “to code.” It is pronounced “shee-FRAY” in its infinitive form.

Chiffrer comes from the Old French word “cyffre,” meaning “zero” or “cipher.” It is most commonly used in the context of cryptography or encoding information. In everyday French, it can also be used to refer to solving a puzzle or deciphering a code.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, chiffrer is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past. Three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations, are:

  1. J’aurais chiffré le message si je l’avais reçu à temps. (I would have encrypted the message if I had received it on time.)

  2. Il aurait fallu que vous chiffrassiez ces données avant de les envoyer. (You would have had to encrypt this data before sending it.)

  3. Elle aurait aimé que son mari ne chiffrât pas ses e-mails. (She would have liked her husband not to encrypt his emails.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Chiffrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chiffrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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