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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gâter

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The English translation of the French verb gâter is “to spoil.” It is pronounced as “gah-tay.”

The language origin of gâter can be traced back to the Old French word “gast,” meaning “to spoil or ruin.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense used to express a hypothetical or unreal action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of gâter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu ne m’aies pas gâté comme ça. (I wish you hadn’t spoiled me like that.)
  2. Il était déçu que ses parents l’aient toujours gâté sans raison. (He was disappointed that his parents had always spoiled him for no reason.)
  3. Je regrette que nous ayons trop gâté nos enfants quand ils étaient petits. (I regret that we spoiled our children too much when they were little.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse gâté Si j’étais riche, je eusse gâté mes enfants. If I were rich, I would have spoiled my children.
tu eusses gâté Si tu avais été là, tu eusses gâté la soirée. If you had been there, you would have ruined the evening.
il eût gâté J’ai été déçu qu’il eût gâté la surprise. I was disappointed that he had ruined the surprise.
elle eût gâté Elle aurait aimé que nous eût gâté le mariage. She would have liked us to have spoiled the wedding.
on eût gâté Si on avait su, on eût gâté leur projet. If we had known, we would have ruined their plan.
nous eussions gâté Nous aurions préféré que nous eussions gâté la surprise. We would have preferred to have spoiled the surprise.
vous eussiez gâté Vous auriez aimé que vous eussiez gâté la fête. You would have liked us to have spoiled the party.
ils eussent gâté J’ai été étonné qu’ils eussent gâté leur chance. I was surprised that they had spoiled their chance.
elles eussent gâté Elles auraient aimé qu’elles eussent gâté la soirée. They would have liked us to have spoiled the evening.

Other Conjugations for Gâter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gâter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Gâter – 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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