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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dactylographier

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The English translation of the French verb dactylographier is “to type” or “to typewrite.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “dak-tee-loh-grah-fee-yay.”

The word dactylographier comes from the Greek words “daktylos” meaning “finger” and “graphein” meaning “to write.” It was first used in French in the late 19th century to refer to the use of a typewriter.

In everyday French, dactylographier is most often used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense to express actions that occurred before another past action or event. This tense is formed by using the past subjunctive of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of dactylographier in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais dactylographié le rapport avant que mon patron ne me le demande. (I had typed the report before my boss asked for it.)

  2. Elle avait dactylographié toutes les lettres avant que l’ordinateur ne tombe en panne. (She had typed all the letters before the computer broke down.)

  3. Nous avions dactylographié toutes les notes avant que la réunion ne soit annulée. (We had typed all the notes before the meeting was cancelled.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse dactylographié Il faut que j’eusse dactylographié le rapport avant la réunion. I needed to have typed the report before the meeting.
tu eusses dactylographié J’aurais aimé que tu eusses dactylographié avant le délai. I wish you had typed it before the deadline.
il eût dactylographié Il serait mieux qu’il eût dactylographié avant la fin de la journée. It would have been better if he had typed it before the end of the day.
elle eût dactylographié Elle aurait préféré qu’elle eût dactylographié le document avant le voyage. She would have preferred if she had typed the document before the trip.
on eût dactylographié Si on eût dactylographié le rapport plus tôt, on n’aurait pas eu de problème. If we had typed the report earlier, we wouldn’t have had a problem.
nous eussions dactylographié Nous aurions aimé que nous eussions dactylographié une copie de sauvegarde. We wish we had typed a backup copy.
vous eussiez dactylographié Je préférerais que vous eussiez dactylographié un résumé de la réunion. I would prefer if you had typed a summary of the meeting.
ils eussent dactylographié Il serait mieux qu’ils eussent dactylographié avant de partir. It would be better if they had typed it before leaving.
elles eussent dactylographié J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent dactylographié le document plus tôt. I wish they had typed the document earlier.

Other Conjugations for Dactylographier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dactylographier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dactylographier
    (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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Dactylographier – 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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