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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb douer

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The English translation of the French verb “douer” is “to endow” or “to grant.” It is pronounced as “doo-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word “douer” originated from the Old French word “douer” or “douir” which meant “to give” or “to endow with.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “dotare” which also means “to endow.”

In everyday French, “douer” is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action or state of being that was wished or desired. It is commonly used in formal and literary contexts.

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies doué de tes talents musicaux. (I wish you had endowed me with your musical talents.)

  2. Elle regrettait que son père ne l’ait pas douée d’une éducation plus poussée. (She regretted that her father had not endowed her with a more thorough education.)

  3. Nous aurions aimé qu’ils nous aient doués d’une grande fortune. (We would have liked them to have endowed us with a large fortune.)

Overall, “douer” in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past desire or wish for someone to have a certain quality, talent, or possession. It is often used in a regretful or hypothetical tone.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Douer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb douer
    (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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Douer – 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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