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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exaspérer

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The English translation of the French verb exaspérer is “to exasperate.” It is pronounced as “egg-zah-seh-pay-ray.”

Exaspérer comes from the Latin word “exasperare” which means “to irritate, provoke, or make angry.” It was first used in French in the 14th century.

In everyday French, exaspérer is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal situation in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive past tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of exaspérer.

Here are 3 simple examples of exaspérer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su qu’il était allergique aux chats, je ne l’aurais pas invité chez moi. Il se serait sûrement exaspéré en voyant mon chat. (If I had known he was allergic to cats, I wouldn’t have invited him to my house. He would have probably been exasperated by seeing my cat.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que tu ne m’aies pas exaspérée avec tes critiques constantes sur mon travail. (I wish you had not exasperated me with your constant critiques of my work.)

  3. Il s’est excusé d’avoir eu un comportement si désagréable, mais cela ne m’a pas empêché de m’exaspérer. (He apologized for his unpleasant behavior, but it didn’t stop me from being exasperated.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Exaspérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exaspérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Exaspérer – 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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