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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb crosser

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The English translation of the French verb crosser is “to cross”. The infinitive form is pronounced [kʁɔ.se].

The word crosser comes from the Latin word “cruciare”, meaning “to torture”. It entered the French language in the 15th century and originally meant “to make the sign of the cross”. Over time, its meaning evolved to refer to physically crossing something, such as a road or a river.

In everyday French, the verb crosser is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a compound tense used to express an action that was completed before another action in the past. This tense is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of crosser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’espérais que tu aies croisé la route avant la nuit. (I was hoping that you had crossed the road before nightfall.)
  2. Il était temps que nous ayons enfin traversé la rivière. (It was time for us to finally cross the river.)
  3. Elle doutait que les enfants fussent déjà passés à travers le pont. (She doubted that the children had already gone across the bridge.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse crossé Si j’avais eu le temps, j’aurais aimé que je eusse crossé. If I had had the time, I wish I had crossed.
tu eusses crossé Si tu avais eu le temps, j’aurais aimé que tu eusses crossé. If you had had the time, I wish you had crossed.
il eût crossé Si il avait eu le temps, j’aurais aimé qu’il eût crossé. If he had had the time, I wish he had crossed.
elle eût crossé Si elle avait eu le temps, j’aurais aimé qu’elle eût crossé. If she had had the time, I wish she had crossed.
on eût crossé Si on avait eu le temps, j’aurais aimé qu’on eût crossé. If one had had the time, I wish one had crossed.
nous eussions crossé Si nous avions eu le temps, j’aurais aimé que nous eussions crossé. If we had had the time, I wish we had crossed.
vous eussiez crossé Si vous aviez eu le temps, j’aurais aimé que vous eussiez crossé. If you had had the time, I wish you had crossed.
ils eussent crossé Si ils avaient eu le temps, j’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent crossé. If they had had the time, I wish they had crossed.
elles eussent crossé Si elles avaient eu le temps, j’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent crossé. If they had had the time, I wish they had crossed.

Other Conjugations for Crosser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb crosser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Crosser – 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 crosser. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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