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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empâter

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The English translation of the French verb empâter is “to smother” or “to stuff.” The infinitive form is pronounced as /ɑ̃.pa.te/.

Empâter is derived from the word “pâte,” which means “dough” or “paste,” and the prefix “em-,” which often indicates a movement or action towards something.

In everyday French, empâter is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past subjunctive tense used to express a hypothetical action that took place before another past action.

Here are three examples of empâter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Il était furieux que je l’aie empâté avec mes questions incessantes. (He was furious that I had smothered him with my incessant questions.)

  2. Nous étions désolés qu’elle ait empâté le gâteau avec trop de crème. (We were sorry that she had stuffed the cake with too much cream.)

  3. J’étais content que tu aies empâté ta valise avec tous tes souvenirs de voyage. (I was happy that you had stuffed your suitcase with all your travel memories.)

In all these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past hypothetical action (empâter) that took place before another past action (être furieux, être désolé, être content).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Empâter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empâter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Empâter – 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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