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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empoisonner

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The English translation of the French verb empoisonner is “to poison.” It is pronounced as /ɑ̃.pwa.zɔ.ne/ in the infinitive form.

Empoisonner comes from the Old French word “empoisoner,” which is derived from the Latin word “poisonare,” meaning “to poison.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense of the subjunctive mood.

Three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais peur qu’il eût empoisonné mon verre. (I was afraid he had poisoned my glass.)

  2. Elles étaient convaincues que vous eussiez empoisonné le chien. (They were convinced that you had poisoned the dog.)

  3. Nous doutions qu’ils eussent empoisonné la nourriture. (We doubted that they had poisoned the food.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Empoisonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empoisonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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