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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb intimider

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The English translation of the French verb intimider is “to intimidate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “e(n)-tee-mee-dey.”

Intimider comes from the Latin word “intimidare,” meaning “to make timid or fearful.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has been used in both a literal and figurative sense since then. In everyday French, intimider is often used to describe the act of making someone feel scared, afraid, or uneasy.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, intimider is used to express a past action that was intended to intimidate someone. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. Je craignais qu’elle ne m’ait intimidé avec ses menaces. (I was afraid that she had intimidated me with her threats.)
  2. Il était certain que son patron l’avait intimé à quitter son poste. (He was certain that his boss had intimidated him into leaving his job.)
  3. Nous doutions qu’ils eussent été intimidés par le groupe de voyous. (We doubted that they had been intimidated by the group of thugs.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse intimidé J’aurais aimé que je eusse intimidé mon adversaire. I wish I had intimidated my opponent.
tu eusses intimidé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses intimidé ton adversaire. I wish you had intimidated your opponent.
il eût intimidé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût intimidé son adversaire. I wish he had intimidated his opponent.
elle eût intimidé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût intimidé son adversaire. I wish she had intimidated her opponent.
on eût intimidé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût intimidé son adversaire. I wish one had intimidated their opponent.
nous eussions intimidé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions intimidé notre adversaire. I wish we had intimidated our opponent.
vous eussiez intimidé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez intimidé votre adversaire. I wish you had intimidated your opponent.
ils eussent intimidé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent intimidé leur adversaire. I wish they had intimidated their opponent.
elles eussent intimidé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent intimidé leur adversaire. I wish they had intimidated their opponent.

Other Conjugations for Intimider.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb intimider
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Intimider – 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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