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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb coudoyer

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The English translation of the French verb coudoyer is “to brush past” or “to rub elbows with.” The infinitive form is pronounced “koo-dwa-yay.”

The word coudoyer comes from the French word “coude,” meaning “elbow.” It dates back to the 16th century and was originally used to describe the act of using one’s elbow to jostle or push past someone in a crowd.

In everyday French, coudoyer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a literary or formal tense used to express an action that had already happened before another past action.

Examples:

  1. Nous étions en retard, alors nous avions dû coudoyer les autres passagers pour arriver à temps à notre vol. (We were late, so we had to brush past the other passengers to make it to our flight on time.)
  2. Elle avait peur de coudoyer les célébrités lors de la soirée, mais elle s’est finalement retrouvée à côté d’une actrice célèbre. (She was afraid of rubbing elbows with celebrities at the party, but she ended up sitting next to a famous actress.)
  3. Il avait coudoyé son rival dans la course à la présidentielle, sans se rendre compte que c’était lui qui avait provoqué la chute du candidat. (He had brushed past his rival in the presidential race, without realizing that it was him who had caused the candidate to fall.)

In these examples, coudoyer is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that had already happened before the main past action (arriver à temps, se retrouver à côté d’une actrice célèbre, provoquer la chute du candidat).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Coudoyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb coudoyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Coudoyer – 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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