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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encaustiquer

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The English translation of encaustiquer is “to wax” or “to polish.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-kohs-tee-kay.”

Encaustiquer comes from the French word “caustique,” meaning “caustic” or “burning,” and the prefix “en,” which typically denotes a verb that involves applying a substance to a surface. In everyday French, encaustiquer is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense subjunctive form used to express an action that is hypothetical or contrary to reality.

Three examples of encaustiquer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que j’encaustiquasse le parquet avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had to wax the floor before the guests arrived.)
  2. Elle aurait aimé que son mari encaustiquât les meubles plus souvent. (She would have liked her husband to wax the furniture more often.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que les chaussures soient encaustiquées avant de les porter. (We would have preferred the shoes to be polished before wearing them.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used because the actions described are hypothetical or contrary to reality. The first sentence expresses a need for the floor to be waxed before the guests arrive, but it was not actually waxed in the past. The second sentence expresses a desire for the husband to wax the furniture, but it did not actually happen. And the third sentence expresses a preference for the shoes to be polished before wearing them, but they were not actually polished.

Overall, encaustiquer is often used in everyday French to describe the act of polishing or waxing a surface, and in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, it is used to express hypothetical or unreal actions.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Encaustiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encaustiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encaustiquer
    (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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Encaustiquer – 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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