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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb maçonner

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The English translation of the French verb maçonner is “to bricklay.” It is pronounced as “mah-son-ay.”

Maçonner comes from the Old French word “maçon,” which means “mason” or “bricklayer.” It comes from the Latin word “machio,” which means “a builder of walls.” In everyday French, maçonner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions that occurred before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of maçonner used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies maçonné cette cheminée avant l’hiver. (I wish you had bricked this chimney before winter.)

  2. Il était essentiel que nous ayons maçonné les fondations avant la construction de la maison. (It was essential that we had bricked the foundations before building the house.)

  3. Je doutais qu’ils aient maçonné le mur correctement. (I doubted they had bricked the wall correctly.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse maçonné J’aurais préféré que je eusse maçonné. I would have preferred that I had built.
tu eusses maçonné J’aurais préféré que tu eusses maçonné. I would have preferred that you had built.
il eût maçonné J’aurais préféré qu’il eût maçonné. I would have preferred that he had built.
elle eût maçonné J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût maçonné. I would have preferred that she had built.
on eût maçonné J’aurais préféré qu’on eût maçonné. I would have preferred that one had built.
nous eussions maçonné J’aurais préféré que nous eussions maçonné. I would have preferred that we had built.
vous eussiez maçonné J’aurais préféré que vous eussiez maçonné. I would have preferred that you had built.
ils eussent maçonné J’aurais préféré qu’ils eussent maçonné. I would have preferred that they had built.
elles eussent maçonné J’aurais préféré qu’elles eussent maçonné. I would have preferred that they had built.

Other Conjugations for Maçonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb maçonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Maçonner – 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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