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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb côtoyer

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The English translation of the French verb côtoyer is “to rub shoulders with” or “to be next to.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “koh-twa-yay.”

Côtoyer comes from the Old French word “costoier,” which means “to border” or “to follow the coast.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action.

Some examples of côtoyer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies côtoyé des artistes célèbres avant de devenir écrivain. (I would have liked for you to have rubbed shoulders with famous artists before becoming a writer.)

  2. Nous aurions préféré que vous ayez côtoyé des personnes plus âgées pour apprendre leur sagesse. (We would have preferred for you to have been around older people to learn their wisdom.)

  3. Il aurait fallu que j’aie côtoyé des personnes talentueuses pour m’améliorer dans mon travail. (I would have needed to be around talented people to improve in my work.)

English translations:

  1. I wish you had rubbed shoulders with famous artists before becoming a writer.

  2. We would have preferred for you to have been around older people to learn their wisdom.

  3. I would have needed to be around talented people to improve in my work.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Côtoyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb côtoyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Côtoyer – 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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