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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cultiver

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb cultiver is “to cultivate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “kul-tee-vay.”

Language origin: Cultiver comes from the Latin word “cultivare,” meaning “to till, cultivate.” It entered the French language in the 13th century.

Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense: In everyday French, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action that took place before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Plus-que-parfait tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Examples:

  1. J’avais cultivé mes légumes avant que mon jardinier ne les arrache. (I had cultivated my vegetables before my gardener uprooted them.)
  2. Il était important que j’eusse cultivé mes talents avant d’entrer à l’université. (It was important that I had cultivated my talents before entering university.)
  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous eussiez cultivé votre jardin avec plus de soin. (We would have liked for you to have cultivated your garden more carefully.)

English translations: 1. I had cultivated, before my gardener uprooted them, my vegetables.

  1. It was important that I had cultivated my talents before entering university.
  2. We would have liked for you to have cultivated your garden more carefully.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse cultivé Il était important que je eusse cultivé mon jardin. It was important that I had cultivated my garden.
tu eusses cultivé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses cultivé ta patience. I wish you had cultivated your patience.
il eût cultivé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût cultivé ses talents. I wish he had cultivated his talents.
elle eût cultivé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût cultivé sa sagesse. I wish she had cultivated her wisdom.
on eût cultivé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût cultivé notre relation. I wish one had cultivated our relationship.
nous eussions cultivé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions cultivé nos compétences. I wish we had cultivated our skills.
vous eussiez cultivé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez cultivé votre jardin. I wish you had cultivated your garden.
ils eussent cultivé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent cultivé leur passion. I wish they had cultivated their passion.
elles eussent cultivé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent cultivé leur créativité. I wish they had cultivated their creativity.

Other Conjugations for Cultiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cultiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cultiver – 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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