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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb couver

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The English translation of the French verb couver is “to brood” or “to hatch.” It is pronounced “koo-vay.”

Couver comes from the Old French word “cover” meaning “to incubate” or “to cover.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of an animal sitting on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, it is used to express an action that had already been completed before another event or action took place.

Examples:

  1. J’espérais qu’elle ait couvé les œufs avant que je rentre à la maison. (I was hoping she had brooded the eggs before I came home.)
  2. Il semblait qu’il eût couvé un plan depuis longtemps. (It seemed like he had been hatching a plan for a long time.)
  3. Nous craignions qu’ils n’eussent couvé le virus avant de se mettre en quarantaine. (We were afraid they had incubated the virus before going into quarantine.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Couver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb couver
    (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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Couver – 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 couver. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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