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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contrebuter

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The English translation of the French verb contrebuter is “to counterbalance” or “to offset.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced “kohn-truh-byoo-tey.”

The word contrebuter comes from the French word “contre,” meaning “against,” and “buter,” meaning “to butt” or “to push.” Its most common usage is in financial or economic contexts, referring to the act of balancing or offsetting costs or expenses.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, contrebuter is used to express a hypothetical or unreal past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the past subjunctive form of “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of contrebuter.

Here are three examples of contrebuter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais contrebuté mes dépenses avant que j’aie perdu mon emploi. (I had offset my expenses before I lost my job.)

  2. Elle était contente que nous ayons contrebuté ses factures. (She was happy that we had counterbalanced her bills.)

  3. Il aurait fallu que vous eussiez contrebuté vos pertes avant de déclarer vos gains. (You should have offset your losses before declaring your gains.)

In all of these examples, contrebuter is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that was completed before another past action. It is often used in financial or economic discussions, but can also be used in other contexts where there is a need to balance or offset something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse contrebûté Il fallait que je eusse contrebûté. I had to have contributed.
tu eusses contrebûté Il fallait que tu eusses contrebûté. You had to have contributed.
il eût contrebûté Il fallait qu’il eût contrebûté. He had to have contributed.
elle eût contrebûté Il fallait qu’elle eût contrebûté. She had to have contributed.
on eût contrebûté Il fallait qu’on eût contrebûté. One had to have contributed.
nous eussions contrebûté Il fallait que nous eussions contrebûté. We had to have contributed.
vous eussiez contrebûté Il fallait que vous eussiez contrebûté. You had to have contributed.
ils eussent contrebûté Il fallait qu’ils eussent contrebûté. They had to have contributed.
elles eussent contrebûté Il fallait qu’elles eussent contrebûté. They had to have contributed.

Other Conjugations for Contrebuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contrebuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Contrebuter – 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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