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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clamper

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The English translation of the French verb clamper is “to clamp” or “to clamp down.” The infinitive form of clamper is pronounced “klahm-pey.”

The verb clamper comes from the French word “clampe,” which means “clamp” or “clamp down.” It is most often used in every day French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past subjunctive tense used to express a hypothetical action that occurred before another past action.

Examples of clamper in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense in everyday French include:

  1. J’espérais qu’elle eût clampé les documents avant que le patron n’arrive. (I hoped that she had clamped down the documents before the boss arrived.)

  2. Il fallait que tu eusses clampé la porte pour éviter que le vent ne l’ouvre. (You had to clamp down the door to prevent the wind from opening it.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré qu’ils eussent clampé leurs vélos ensemble pour qu’ils ne soient pas volés. (We would have preferred that they had clamped their bikes together so they wouldn’t be stolen.)

In these examples, clamper is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past hypothetical or desired action. The English translations reflect this tense by using the past perfect tense (“had” + past participle) to indicate the hypothetical action that occurred before another past action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Clamper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clamper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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