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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb estiver

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The English translation of the French verb estiver is “to be” or “to exist.” It is pronounced “eh-stee-vay.”

Estiver comes from the Old French verb “estre,” which ultimately comes from the Latin verb “esse.” In everyday French, estiver is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense used for actions that occurred before another past action. It is typically used to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past.

Examples of estiver used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies estivé là pour me soutenir. (I wish you had been there to support me.)
  2. Il fallait que tu aies estivé plus attentif en classe pour réussir ton examen. (You needed to have been more attentive in class to pass your exam.)
  3. Je doutais qu’elle ait estivé à la fête hier soir. (I doubted that she had been at the party last night.)

In these examples, estiver is used in the past subjunctive to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. The English translations also use the past subjunctive to convey the same meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je fusse estivé J’aurais aimé que je fusse estivé. I wish I had been.
tu fusses estivé J’aurais aimé que tu fusses estivé. I wish you had been.
il fût estivé J’aurais aimé qu’il fût estivé. I wish he had been.
elle fût estivée J’aurais aimé qu’elle fût estivée. I wish she had been.
on fût estivé J’aurais aimé qu’on fût estivé. I wish one had been.
nous fussions estivés J’aurais aimé que nous fussions estivés. I wish we had been.
vous fussiez estivés J’aurais aimé que vous fussiez estivés. I wish you had been.
ils fussent estivés J’aurais aimé qu’ils fussent estivés. I wish they had been.
elles fussent estivées J’aurais aimé qu’elles fussent estivées. I wish they had been.

Other Conjugations for Estiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb estiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Estiver – 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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