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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb heurter

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The English translation of the French verb heurter is “to bump into” or “to collide with”. It is pronounced “euhr-tay”.

The language origin of heurter can be traced back to the Old French verb “heurtier”, meaning “to push, jostle, strike”. It comes from the Latin word “urtare”, meaning “to strike, collide”.

In everyday French, heurter is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action or event that is uncertain or hypothetical. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. J’espérais que tu n’eusses pas heurté le mur.
    Translation: I hoped that you had not bumped into the wall.

  2. Il était possible que nous eussions heurté un animal en conduisant.
    Translation: It was possible that we had collided with an animal while driving.

  3. Je craignais qu’ils ne fussent heurtés par la violence de la tempête.
    Translation: I feared that they had been struck by the violence of the storm.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse heurté Si j’avais su, je eusse heurté la voiture. If I had known, I would have hit the car.
tu eusses heurté Si tu avais su, tu eusses heurté la voiture. If you had known, you would have hit the car.
il eût heurté Si il avait su, il eût heurté la voiture. If he had known, he would have hit the car.
elle eût heurté Si elle avait su, elle eût heurté la voiture. If she had known, she would have hit the car.
on eût heurté Si on avait su, on eût heurté la voiture. If one had known, one would have hit the car.
nous eussions heurté Si nous avions su, nous eussions heurté la voiture. If we had known, we would have hit the car.
vous eussiez heurté Si vous aviez su, vous eussiez heurté la voiture. If you had known, you would have hit the car.
ils eussent heurté Si ils avaient su, ils eussent heurté la voiture. If they had known, they would have hit the car.
elles eussent heurté Si elles avaient su, elles eussent heurté la voiture. If they had known, they would have hit the car.

Other Conjugations for Heurter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb heurter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Heurter – 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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