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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foirer

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The English translation of the French verb foirer is “to mess up” or “to fail.” The infinitive form is pronounced “fwah-reh.”

The word foirer comes from the French noun “foire,” meaning “fair” or “market.” In everyday French, it is used to describe a situation or action that has not gone as expected or planned. It is often used in a casual or colloquial context.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, foirer is conjugated as follows:

  • J’avais foiré (I had messed up)
  • Tu avais foiré (You had messed up)
  • Il/Elle avait foiré (He/She had messed up)
  • Nous avions foiré (We had messed up)
  • Vous aviez foiré (You had messed up)
  • Ils/Elles avaient foiré (They had messed up)

Example 1: J’étais tellement stressé que j’avais foiré mon examen. (I was so stressed that I had messed up my exam.)

Example 2: Si je n’avais pas oublié mes notes, je n’aurais pas foiré ma présentation. (If I hadn’t forgotten my notes, I wouldn’t have messed up my presentation.)

Example 3: Il était trop tard pour réparer mes erreurs, j’avais déjà foiré mon projet. (It was too late to fix my mistakes, I had already messed up my project.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Foirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Foirer – 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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