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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gouailler

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of gouailler. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb gouailler is “to mock” or “to tease.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “goo-aye-yay.”

The word gouailler originated from the Old French verb “goliarder,” which meant “to make fun of.” Over time, it evolved into gouailler, which has a similar meaning but is more commonly used in modern French.

In everyday French, gouailler is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or situation. It is formed by combining the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être with the past participle of gouailler.

Example 1:
J’avais gouaillé – I had mocked
Tu avais gouaillé – You had mocked
Il/elle avait gouaillé – He/she had mocked

Example 2:
Nous avions gouaillé – We had mocked
Vous aviez gouaillé – You had mocked
Ils/elles avaient gouaillé – They had mocked

Example 3:
J’étais gouaillé – I had been mocking
Tu étais gouaillé – You had been mocking
Il/elle était gouaillé – He/she had been mocking

English translations:

  1. Il avait gouaillé tous ses camarades avant qu’il soit puni. – He had mocked all his classmates before he was punished.
  2. Nous avions gouaillé du fait qu’il était en retard. – We had teased him for being late.
  3. J’étais gouaillée par mes amis pour mes compétences en français. – I had been mocked by my friends for my French skills.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Gouailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gouailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the gouailler Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts