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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb guillemeter

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The English translation of the French verb guillemeter is “to use guillemets” or “to put in quotes.” It is pronounced as “gee-yeh-meh-tay.”

Guillemeter comes from the French word “guillemet,” which refers to the use of quotation marks in writing. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense used to express actions or events that could have happened in the past. It is formed by using the subjunctive form of the verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of guillemeter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais guillemeté les citations du livre avant de le rendre à la bibliothèque. (I had put in quotes the citations from the book before returning it to the library.)

  2. Il était nécessaire que j’eusse guillemeté les paroles de mon discours pour qu’elles soient plus claires. (It was necessary for me to have put in quotes the words of my speech in order for them to be clearer.)

  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous eussiez guillemeté les phrases les plus importantes du texte. (We would have liked for you to have put in quotes the most important sentences of the text.)

In these examples, guillemeter is used to indicate the action of using quotation marks in the past, showing that it was completed before another past action or event.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Guillemeter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb guillemeter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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