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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb essuyer

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The English translation of the French verb essuyer is “to wipe.” It is pronounced as “es-wee-yay.”

The word “essuyer” comes from the Latin word “exsucare,” which means “to wipe off.” It entered the French language in the 12th century.

Essuyer is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, also known as the “past subjunctive” tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical action that would have taken place in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of how “essuyer” is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’avais essuyé toutes les taches avant que mes parents n’arrivent. (I had wiped all the stains before my parents arrived.)

  2. Il avait fallu que j’essuyasse le sol deux fois à cause de la boue. (I had to wipe the floor twice because of the mud.)

  3. Nous avions nettoyé la cuisine avant que notre invité ne soit arrivé et nous nous étions essuyé les mains sur nos tabliers. (We had cleaned the kitchen before our guest arrived and we had wiped our hands on our aprons.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse essuyé J’aurais préféré que je eusse essuyé. I would have preferred to have wiped.
tu eusses essuyé J’aurais préféré que tu eusses essuyé. I would have preferred you wiped.
il eût essuyé J’aurais préféré qu’il eût essuyé. I would have preferred he wiped.
elle eût essuyé J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût essuyé. I would have preferred she wiped.
on eût essuyé J’aurais préféré qu’on eût essuyé. I would have preferred one wiped.
nous eussions essuyé J’aurais préféré que nous eussions essuyé. I would have preferred we wiped.
vous eussiez essuyé J’aurais préféré que vous eussiez essuyé. I would have preferred you wiped.
ils eussent essuyé J’aurais préféré qu’ils eussent essuyé. I would have preferred they wiped.
elles eussent essuyé J’aurais préféré qu’elles eussent essuyé. I would have preferred they wiped.

Other Conjugations for Essuyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb essuyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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