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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ergoter

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The English translation of the French verb ergoter is “to quibble” or “to nitpick.” It is pronounced [ɛʁ.ɡɔ.te].

Ergoter comes from the Latin word “argutare,” meaning “to chatter” or “to prattle.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that took place before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of ergoter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Elle s’était énervée parce que son mari avait encore ergoté sur le choix du restaurant. (She had gotten upset because her husband had once again quibbled about the restaurant choice.)

  2. J’avais fini mon travail à l’heure, mais mes collègues avaient encore ergoté sur des détails insignifiants. (I had finished my work on time, but my colleagues had still nitpicked about insignificant details.)

  3. Ils auraient pu arriver plus tôt s’ils n’avaient pas autant ergoté sur les différents itinéraires possibles. (They could have arrived earlier if they hadn’t quibbled so much about the different possible routes.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse ergoté Si j’avais su, je eusse ergoté. If I had known, I would have quibbled.
tu eusses ergoté Si tu avais su, tu eusses ergoté. If you had known, you would have quibbled.
il eût ergoté Si il avait su, il eût ergoté. If he had known, he would have quibbled.
elle eût ergoté Si elle avait su, elle eût ergoté. If she had known, she would have quibbled.
on eût ergoté Si on avait su, on eût ergoté. If one had known, one would have quibbled.
nous eussions ergoté Si nous avions su, nous eussions ergoté. If we had known, we would have quibbled.
vous eussiez ergoté Si vous aviez su, vous eussiez ergoté. If you had known, you would have quibbled.
ils eussent ergoté Si ils avaient su, ils eussent ergoté. If they had known, they would have quibbled.
elles eussent ergoté Si elles avaient su, elles eussent ergoté. If they had known, they would have quibbled.

Other Conjugations for Ergoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ergoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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