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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contremander

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The English translation of the French verb contremander is “to countermand.” It is pronounced as “kawn-truh-mawn-dey.”

The language origin of contremander can be traced back to the Old French word “contremander” which comes from the prefix “contre” meaning “against” and the verb “mander” meaning “to command.” In everyday French, contremander is most often used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense, to express actions that took place before another past action or event.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’étais très surprise qu’il eût contremandé sa réservation sans me prévenir.
    (I was very surprised that he had countermanded his reservation without informing me.)

  2. Il fallait qu’ils eussent contremandé l’ordre avant qu’elle ne le reçoive.
    (They had to have countermanded the order before she received it.)

  3. Nous étions contents qu’elle eût contremandé sa décision et décidé de rester.
    (We were happy that she had countermanded her decision and decided to stay.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse contremandé Il faut que j’eusse contremandé la réunion. I had to have cancelled the meeting.
tu eusses contremandé Il fallait que tu eusses contremandé la réunion. You had to have cancelled the meeting.
il eût contremandé Il était nécessaire qu’il eût contremandé la réunion. He had to have cancelled the meeting.
elle eût contremandé Il était nécessaire qu’elle eût contremandé la réunion. She had to have cancelled the meeting.
on eût contremandé Il fallait qu’on eût contremandé la réunion. One had to have cancelled the meeting.
nous eussions contremandé Il fallait que nous eussions contremandé la réunion. We had to have cancelled the meeting.
vous eussiez contremandé Il fallait que vous eussiez contremandé la réunion. You had to have cancelled the meeting.
ils eussent contremandé Il fallait que ils eussent contremandé la réunion. They had to have cancelled the meeting.
elles eussent contremandé Il fallait que elles eussent contremandé la réunion. They had to have cancelled the meeting.

Other Conjugations for Contremander.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contremander
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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