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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-plaquer

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The English translation of the French verb contre-plaquer is “to counter-press” or “to counter-tackle.” It is pronounced as “kohn-truh-plah-keh.”

The word contre-plaquer is a compound verb formed from the prefix contre- (meaning “against”) and the verb plaquer (meaning “to tackle” or “to press”). It is most often used in sports, particularly in rugby or American football, to describe a defensive move where a player tackles or presses against an opponent who has the ball.

In everyday French, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Three simple examples of contre-plaquer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que j’aie contre-plaqué l’attaquant avant qu’il ne marque un but. (I had to have counter-pressed the attacker before he scored a goal.)

  2. Nous aurions pu éviter ce but si nous avions contre-plaqué le joueur plus tôt. (We could have avoided this goal if we had counter-pressed the player earlier.)

  3. J’aurais préféré que tu aies contre-plaqué le joueur au lieu de lui laisser marquer un essai. (I would have preferred that you had counter-pressed the player instead of letting him score a try.)

English translations:

  1. I had to have counter-pressed the attacker before he scored a goal.
  2. We could have avoided this goal if we had counter-pressed the player earlier.
  3. I would have preferred that you had counter-pressed the player instead of letting him score a try.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Contre-Plaquer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-plaquer

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

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Contre-Plaquer – 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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