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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb etirer

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The English translation of the French verb etirer is “to stretch.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “eh-tee-ray.”

Etirer comes from the Latin word “extendere,” meaning “to extend or stretch out.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Je souhaitais que tu eusses étiré tes muscles avant de faire du sport. (I wished that you had stretched your muscles before exercising.)

  2. Il fallait que nous eussions étiré nos jambes après la longue randonnée. (We had to stretch our legs after the long hike.)

  3. Mes parents auraient préféré que j’eusse étiré mon budget avant d’acheter ce nouveau téléphone. (My parents would have preferred that I had stretched my budget before buying this new phone.)

In each of these cases, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past action that may or may not have actually happened. It is often used in hypothetical or conditional statements, as seen in the English translations.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse étiré J’aurais aimé que je eusse étiré. I wish I had stretched.
tu eusses étiré J’aurais aimé que tu eusses étiré. I wish you had stretched.
il eût étiré J’aurais aimé qu’il eût étiré. I wish he had stretched.
elle eût étiré J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût étiré. I wish she had stretched.
on eût étiré J’aurais aimé qu’on eût étiré. I wish one had stretched.
nous eussions étiré J’aurais aimé que nous eussions étiré. I wish we had stretched.
vous eussiez étiré J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez étiré. I wish you had stretched.
ils eussent étiré J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent étiré. I wish they had stretched.
elles eussent étiré J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent étiré. I wish they had stretched.

Other Conjugations for Etirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb etirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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

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