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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb couiller

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The English translation of the French verb couiller is “to mess around/fool around.” It is pronounced “kwee-yay” in its infinitive form.

Language Origin:
Couiller comes from the French word “couille,” which means “testicle.” Originally, the verb was used in a slang way to refer to a man, but over time it evolved to mean “to play around/mess around.”

Usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:
The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express an action that took place before another action in the past. In everyday French, couiller in this tense is used in a more informal or colloquial way.

Examples:

  1. Il était évident que tu couillais depuis longtemps avant d’être pris en flagrant délit. (It was obvious that you had been fooling around for a long time before you were caught in the act.)
  2. J’avais peur qu’il ait couillé avec mon ordinateur avant de me le rendre. (I was afraid that he had messed around with my computer before giving it back to me.)
  3. Elle était contente que tu n’aies pas couillé à l’examen et que tu aies obtenu une bonne note. (She was happy that you didn’t mess around during the exam and that you got a good grade.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse couillé Si j’avais su, j’aurais aimé que je eusse couillé. If I had known, I wish I had screwed up.
tu eusses couillé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses couillé. I wish you had screwed up.
il eût couillé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût couillé. I wish he had screwed up.
elle eût couillé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût couillé. I wish she had screwed up.
on eût couillé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût couillé. I wish one had screwed up.
nous eussions couillé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions couillé. I wish we had screwed up.
vous eussiez couillé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez couillé. I wish you had screwed up.
ils eussent couillé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent couillé. I wish they had screwed up.
elles eussent couillé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent couillé. I wish they had screwed up.

Other Conjugations for Couiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Couiller – 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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