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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contresigner

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The English translation of the French verb contresigner is “to countersign.” It is pronounced as “kohn-treh-see-nyay.”

Contresigner comes from the Old French word “contresigner,” which is derived from the Latin words “contra” meaning “against” and “signare” meaning “to sign.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has been used in legal contexts ever since.

In everyday French, contresigner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that happened before another action in the past. This tense is formed using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of contresigner used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. Il fallait que je l’ait contresigné avant de le soumettre au tribunal.
    Translation: I had to have countersigned it before submitting it to the court.

  2. Il était important que tu eusses contresigné le contrat avant la date limite.
    Translation: It was important that you had countersigned the contract before the deadline.

  3. Nous aurions dû contresigner le document avant de le transmettre à notre avocat.
    Translation: We should have countersigned the document before sending it to our lawyer.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse contresigné Il aurait pu arriver que je eusse contresigné. It could have happened that I had countersigned.
tu eusses contresigné Je suis désolé que tu eusses contresigné. I’m sorry you had countersigned.
il eût contresigné Nous aurions apprécié qu’il eût contresigné. We would have appreciated he had countersigned.
elle eût contresigné Je suis contente qu’elle eût contresigné. I’m glad she had countersigned.
on eût contresigné J’aurais espéré qu’on eût contresigné. I would have hoped someone had countersigned.
nous eussions contresigné Il est possible que nous eussions contresigné. It’s possible we had countersigned.
vous eussiez contresigné Je regrette que vous eussiez contresigné. I regret you had countersigned.
ils eussent contresigné Il est peu probable qu’ils eussent contresigné. It’s unlikely they had countersigned.
elles eussent contresigné Je suis étonné qu’elles eussent contresigné. I am surprised they had countersigned.

Other Conjugations for Contresigner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contresigner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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

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