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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fertiliser

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The English translation of the French verb fertiliser is “to fertilize.” It is pronounced as “fehr-tee-lee-zay” in its infinitive form.

The word “fertiliser” comes from the Latin word “fertilis,” meaning “fruitful” or “fertile.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Example 1: J’espérais que tu aies fertilisé le jardin avant que je n’arrive. (I was hoping that you had fertilized the garden before I arrived.)
Example 2: Il était temps que nous eussions fertilisé les champs pour avoir une bonne récolte. (It was time for us to have fertilized the fields in order to have a good harvest.)
Example 3: Elle doutait que vous fussiez passés par là pour fertiliser les plantes. (She doubted that you had passed by to fertilize the plants.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express actions that occurred before the main action in the sentence. In the first example, the action of fertilizing the garden occurred before the speaker’s arrival. In the second example, the action of fertilizing the fields occurred before the expected good harvest. And in the third example, the action of passing by to fertilize the plants occurred before the speaker’s doubt.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Fertiliser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fertiliser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fertiliser – 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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