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

Introduction to the verb coter

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The English translation of the French verb coter is “to cost.” The infinitive form of coter is pronounced as “koh-tay.”

The word coter comes from the Latin word “costare” meaning “to cost.” It is most often used in everyday French to talk about the price or cost of items or services.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, coter is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain past action, similar to the English “would have cost.” Here are three simple examples of coter in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé acheter cette robe, mais elle aurait coûté trop cher. (I would have liked to buy this dress, but it would have cost too much.)

  2. Ils avaient peur que le voyage leur ait coûté trop d’argent. (They were afraid that the trip would have cost them too much money.)

  3. Il aurait été heureux si cela n’avait pas côuté la vie à sa femme. (He would have been happy if it hadn’t cost his wife’s life.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Coter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coter – 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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