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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contaminer

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The English translation of the French verb contaminer is “to contaminate.” The infinitive form, contaminer, is pronounced as “kawn-tah-mee-nay.”

The word contaminer comes from the Latin verb “contaminare,” meaning “to pollute or defile.” It was later adopted into Old French as “contaminer” and eventually became the modern French word “contaminer.”

In everyday French, the verb contaminer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that could have happened but did not, or to express a hypothetical or imaginary situation in the past.

Examples:

  1. Il aurait pu contaminer toute la ville s’il n’avait pas été arrêté. (He could have contaminated the whole city if he hadn’t been caught.)
  2. Nous aurions dû éviter cette nourriture contaminée. (We should have avoided this contaminated food.)
  3. Si j’avais su qu’il était malade, je ne l’aurais pas contaminé en lui serrant la main. (If I had known he was sick, I wouldn’t have contaminated him by shaking his hand.)

English translations:

  1. He could have contaminated the whole city if he hadn’t been caught.
  2. We should have avoided this contaminated food.
  3. If I had known he was sick, I wouldn’t have contaminated him by shaking his hand.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Contaminer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contaminer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contaminer – 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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