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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb estamper

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The English translation of the French verb estamper is “to stamp” or “to imprint.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “es-tom-pey.”

The language origin of estamper can be traced back to the Latin word “stampan,” meaning “to stamp or mark.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used primarily in the context of printing and stamping ever since.

In everyday French, the verb estamper is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed in the past and is now being talked about in relation to another event or action. It is typically used in more formal or literary contexts.

Here are three simple examples of estamper in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’espérais qu’il eût estampé son nom sur le contrat avant de le signer. (I was hoping he had stamped his name on the contract before signing it.)

  2. Elle aurait aimé que les invitations fussent estampées avant l’envoi. (She would have liked the invitations to be stamped before sending them out.)

  3. Nous avions peur qu’ils eussent estampé leur logo sur nos produits sans notre permission. (We were afraid they had stamped their logo on our products without our permission.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse estampé J’avais peur qu’il me eusse estampé. I was afraid he would stamp on me.
tu eusses estampé Si tu eusses estampé trop fort, tu aurais eu mal. If you had stamped too hard, you would have hurt yourself.
il eût estampé Je n’aurais jamais cru qu’il eût estampé la carte si fort. I never would have believed that he would have stamped the card that hard.
elle eût estampé J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût estampé le document plus tôt. I would have preferred if she had stamped the document earlier.
on eût estampé Il faut que tu puisses estampé le papier pour que je puisse l’utiliser. I need you to be able to stamp the paper so I can use it.
nous eussions estampé Je suis content que nous eussions estampé le contrat hier soir. I’m glad that we stamped the contract last night.
vous eussiez estampé Il est important que vous eussiez estampé tous les formulaires avant de partir. It’s important that you stamped all the forms before leaving.
ils eussent estampé Je souhaite qu’ils eussent estampé les billets avant de les vendre. I wish they had stamped the tickets before selling them.
elles eussent estampé Je suis heureuse qu’elles eussent estampé toutes les cartes d’invitation. I’m glad that they stamped all the invitations.

Other Conjugations for Estamper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb estamper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Estamper – 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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