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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb claveter

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The English translation of the French verb claveter is “to nail” or “to rivet.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kla-vuh-tey” with the stress on the second syllable.

The word claveter comes from the Latin word “clavus,” meaning “nail.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of hammering or fixing something with a nail or rivet.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, claveter is used to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies claveté les planches avant de les installer. (I wish you had nailed the boards before installing them.)

  2. Il était important que les clous aient été clavetés solidement pour que la structure soit solide. (It was important that the nails had been securely nailed in order for the structure to be solid.)

  3. Je doutais qu’il eût claveté correctement la charpente, mais heureusement tout tenait en place. (I doubted that he had correctly nailed the frame, but luckily everything held in place.)

Overall, claveter is a useful verb in everyday French for talking about construction or fixing something with nails or rivets, and in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense it can express hypothetical or uncertain actions in the past.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Claveter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb claveter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Claveter – 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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