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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foudroyer

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The English translation of the French verb foudroyer is “to strike down” or “to smite.” It is pronounced “foo-dwah-yay” in its infinitive form.

Foudroyer comes from the Old French word “foudre,” meaning “lightning,” and the suffix “-oyer,” which meant “to strike.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense in English.

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

  1. Il était heureux que la maladie l’ait foudroyé avant qu’il ne perde son emploi.
    Translation: He was lucky that the illness had struck him down before he lost his job.

  2. J’aurais été déçu si tu avais foudroyé mon idée avant de l’essayer.
    Translation: I would have been disappointed if you had shot down my idea before trying it.

  3. Elle avait peur que la colère de son mari ne la foudroie lorsqu’elle lui annoncerait la nouvelle.
    Translation: She was afraid that her husband’s anger would strike her down when she told him the news.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Foudroyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foudroyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Foudroyer – 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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