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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb intoxiquer

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The English translation of the French verb intoxiquer is “to intoxicate” or “to poison.” The infinitive form of intoxiquer is pronounced “an-toks-ee-kay.”

Intoxiquer originates from the Latin word “toxicare,” which means “to poison.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been in use ever since.

In everyday French, intoxiquer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past tense action that is hypothetical or uncertain. It is formed by using the subjunctive past tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” (e.g. j’eus, tu eus, il eut, nous eûmes, vous eûtes, ils eurent) followed by the past participle of intoxiquer (intoxiqué).

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Il aurait fallu que je l’eusse intoxiqué avant qu’il ne boive trop d’alcool. (I should have poisoned him before he drank too much alcohol.)
  2. Nous aurions préféré que tu eusses intoxiqué le vin plutôt que l’eau. (We would have preferred if you had poisoned the wine instead of the water.)
  3. Il était possible qu’ils eussent intoxiqué leur propre nourriture par accident. (It was possible that they had accidentally poisoned their own food.)

English translations:

  1. It would have been necessary for me to have poisoned him before he drank too much alcohol.
  2. We would have preferred if you had poisoned the wine instead of the water.
  3. It was possible that they had accidentally poisoned their own food.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’il eusse intoxiqué. If he had drunk the water, I wish he had poisoned it.
tu eusses intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé que tu eusses intoxiqué. If he had drunk the water, I wish you had poisoned it.
il eût intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’il eût intoxiqué. If he had drunk the water, I wish he had poisoned it.
elle eût intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’elle eût intoxiqué. If she had drunk the water, I wish she had poisoned it.
on eût intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’on eût intoxiqué. If one had drunk the water, I wish they had poisoned it.
nous eussions intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé que nous eussions intoxiqué. If we had drunk the water, I wish we had poisoned it.
vous eussiez intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé que vous eussiez intoxiqué. If you had drunk the water, I wish you had poisoned it.
ils eussent intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent intoxiqué. If they had drunk the water, I wish they had poisoned it.
elles eussent intoxiqué S’il avait bu l’eau, j’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent intoxiqué. If they had drunk the water, I wish they had poisoned it.

Other Conjugations for Intoxiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb intoxiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Intoxiquer – 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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