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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb givrer

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The English translation of the French verb givrer is “to freeze” or “to frost.” It is pronounced “zhee-vre.”

Givrer comes from the Old French word “givre,” meaning frost. It is most often used as a transitive verb in everyday French, meaning it requires a direct object to complete its meaning. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, givrer is used to express a hypothetical action that occurred before another past action.

Example 1: J’avais peur que le froid n’ait givré toutes les plantes dans mon jardin. (I was afraid that the cold had frozen all the plants in my garden.)

Example 2: Il était possible que la pluie eût givré les routes et les rende dangereuses à conduire. (It was possible that the rain had frozen the roads and made them dangerous to drive on.)

Example 3: Nous pensions que le gel eût givré les canalisations, alors nous avons laissé couler l’eau toute la nuit. (We thought that the freeze had frozen the pipes, so we left the water running all night.)

In all three examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a possibility or fear about an action that happened in the past. The use of givrer emphasizes the idea of freezing or frosting in these sentences.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Givrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb givrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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