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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb flatter

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The English translation of the French verb flatter is “to flatter.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “fla-teh.”

The word flatter comes from the Old French word “flater,” meaning “to stroke or caress.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express actions or events that are hypothetical, doubtful, or have already happened in the past.

Here are three examples of flatter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies flatté devant tout le monde. (I wish you had flattered me in front of everyone.)
  2. Il était content que je l’eusse flatté sur son travail. (He was happy that I had flattered him on his work.)
  3. Elle m’avait dit que tu l’aurais flattée si elle avait gagné la compétition. (She had told me that you would have flattered her if she had won the competition.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Flatter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flatter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flatter
    (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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Flatter – 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 flatter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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