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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foisonner

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The English translation of the French verb foisonner is “to abound” or “to be abundant.” The infinitive form of foisonner is pronounced as “fwah-see-oh-nay.”

The word foisonner comes from the Old French word “foison,” meaning abundance or plenty. It is derived from the Latin word “fusionem,” meaning abundance or fertility.

In every day French, foisonner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of foisonner used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Il aurait fallu que le jardin foisonnât de fleurs pour que je puisse prendre de belles photos. (The garden would have needed to be abundant in flowers for me to take beautiful pictures.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que la plage foisonnât de coquillages comme dans mes souvenirs d’enfance. (I wished that the beach would have been abundant in seashells like in my childhood memories.)
  3. Si seulement le marché foisonnait de produits frais comme celui-ci chaque jour ! (If only the market would abound in fresh produce like this every day!)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse foisonné Si j’avais su que je eusse foisonné, j’aurais agi autrement. If I had known that I had flourished, I would have acted differently.
tu eusses foisonné J’aurais aimé que tu eusses foisonné dans ton projet. I wish you had flourished in your project.
il eût foisonné J’aurais aimé qu’il eût foisonné dans son travail. I wish he had flourished in his work.
elle eût foisonné J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût foisonné dans son jardin. I wish she had flourished in her garden.
on eût foisonné J’aurais aimé qu’on eût foisonné dans notre quartier. I wish one had flourished in our neighborhood.
nous eussions foisonné J’aurais aimé que nous eussions foisonné dans notre entreprise. I wish we had flourished in our company.
vous eussiez foisonné J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez foisonné dans vos études. I wish you had flourished in your studies.
ils eussent foisonné J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent foisonné dans leur projet. I wish they had flourished in their project.
elles eussent foisonné J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent foisonné dans leur travail. I wish they had flourished in their work.

Other Conjugations for Foisonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foisonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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