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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hacher

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The English translation of the French verb hacher is “to chop” or “to mince.” It is pronounced “ah-SHEH” in the infinitive form.

Hacher comes from the Old French word “hache,” meaning “axe,” and originally referred to the action of chopping with an axe. Over time, it evolved to mean any type of chopping or mincing, particularly in cooking.

In everyday French, hacher is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that would have occurred before another past action. For example, “If I had known, I would have chopped the onions” would be translated as “Si j’avais su, j’aurais haché les oignons.”

Here are three simple examples of hacher in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais haché les légumes avant que tu n’arrives. (I had chopped the vegetables before you arrived.)
  2. Il aurait préféré que tu aies haché les herbes plus finement. (He would have preferred if you had minced the herbs more finely.)
  3. Nous avions haché les noix pour la tarte avant de mettre la pâte. (We had chopped the nuts for the pie before putting in the crust.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse haché J’aurais préféré que je eusse haché. I would have preferred to have chopped.
tu eusses haché J’aurais préféré que tu eusses haché. I would have preferred you to have chopped.
il eût haché J’aurais préféré qu’il eût haché. I would have preferred him to have chopped.
elle eût haché J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût haché. I would have preferred her to have chopped.
on eût haché J’aurais préféré qu’on eût haché. I would have preferred one to have chopped.
nous eussions haché J’aurais préféré que nous eussions haché. I would have preferred us to have chopped.
vous eussiez haché J’aurais préféré que vous eussiez haché. I would have preferred you to have chopped.
ils eussent haché J’aurais préféré qu’ils eussent haché. I would have preferred them to have chopped.
elles eussent haché J’aurais préféré qu’elles eussent haché. I would have preferred them to have chopped.

Other Conjugations for Hacher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hacher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hacher – 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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