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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb frotter

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The English translation of the French verb frotter is “to rub.” It is pronounced as “froh-tay.”

Frotter comes from the Latin word “frottare” and has been used in French since the 12th century. It is most often used in its infinitive form in everyday French, but can also be conjugated in different tenses and moods, such as the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (past subjunctive) tense.

In this tense, frotter is used to express a past action that may or may not have happened. It is often used with the conjunction “que” to express a hypothetical or uncertain situation.

Three simple examples of frotter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que j’eusse frotté la tache avant qu’elle ne sèche. (I should have rubbed the stain before it dried.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu eusses frotté la table avant que les invités arrivent. (I would have liked for you to have rubbed the table before the guests arrived.)
  3. Il aurait fallu que nous eussions frotté les chaussures avant d’entrer dans la maison. (We should have rubbed our shoes before entering the house.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Frotter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb frotter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Frotter – 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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