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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essoucher

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The English translation of the French verb essoucher is “to uproot”. It is pronounced as “es-oo-shay” in its infinitive form.

The word essoucher is derived from the Old French word “sochier”, meaning “to snatch away”. It comes from the Latin word “succutere” which also means “to root out”. In everyday French, essoucher is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that is even further in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Il avait fallu qu’il essouchât les mauvaises herbes avant de planter les fleurs. (He had to uproot the weeds before planting the flowers.)

  2. Elle m’avait dit qu’elle aurait essouché le vieux pommier si elle avait eu le temps. (She had told me that she would have uprooted the old apple tree if she had had the time.)

  3. Nous avions souhaité que notre voisin eût essouché les arbres qui gênaient la vue. (We had wished that our neighbor had uprooted the trees that were blocking the view.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse essouché J’étais heureux que je eusse essouché. I was happy to have pruned.
tu eusses essouché J’étais heureux que tu eusses essouché. I was happy you had pruned.
il eût essouché J’étais heureux qu’il eût essouché. I was happy he had pruned.
elle eût essouché J’étais heureux qu’elle eût essouché. I was happy she had pruned.
on eût essouché J’étais heureux qu’on eût essouché. I was happy one had pruned.
nous eussions essouché J’étais heureux que nous eussions essouché. I was happy we had pruned.
vous eussiez essouché J’étais heureux que vous eussiez essouché. I was happy you had pruned.
ils eussent essouché J’étais heureux qu’ils eussent essouché. I was happy they had pruned.
elles eussent essouché J’étais heureux qu’elles eussent essouché. I was happy they had pruned.

Other Conjugations for Essoucher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essoucher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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