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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chirographier

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The English translation of chirographier is “to handwrite” or “to write in one’s own handwriting.” It is pronounced as “shee-roh-gra-fee-ay.”

Chirographier comes from the Greek words “kheir” (hand) and “graphein” (to write). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of writing something by hand, rather than typing or printing it.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, chirographier is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) followed by the past participle of chirographier.

Here are three simple examples of chirographier in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Il fallait que j’aie chirographié cette lettre avant le départ du courrier. (I had to have handwritten this letter before the mail left.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que tu aies chirographié cette recette pour que je puisse la garder dans mon cahier de cuisine. (I would have liked for you to have handwritten this recipe so that I could keep it in my recipe book.)

  3. Ils auraient préféré que nous ayons chirographié ces documents au lieu de les taper à l’ordinateur. (They would have preferred for us to have handwritten these documents instead of typing them on the computer.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Chirographier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chirographier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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