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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb maltraiter

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of maltraiter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb maltraiter is “to mistreat” or “to abuse.” It is pronounced as “mahl-tray-tay.”

The word maltraiter comes from the French words “mal” meaning “bad” and “traiter” meaning “to treat.” It is most often used in every day French to describe mistreatment or abuse of a person or animal.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, maltraiter is conjugated as “j’eusse maltraité” for the first person singular, “tu eusses maltraité” for the second person singular, “il/elle eût maltraité” for the third person singular, “nous eussions maltraité” for the first person plural, “vous eussiez maltraité” for the second person plural, and “ils/elles eussent maltraité” for the third person plural.

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

  1. Si j’avais su que tu eusses maltraité ton chien, je ne t’aurais pas laissé l’adopter. (If I had known that you had mistreated your dog, I wouldn’t have let you adopt it.)

  2. Il doutait que nous eussions maltraité les prisonniers pendant la guerre. (He doubted that we had mistreated the prisoners during the war.)

  3. J’aurais préféré qu’ils n’eussent pas maltraité les animaux pour leur spectacle. (I would have preferred if they hadn’t mistreated the animals for their show.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse maltraité J’avais peur qu’elle eusse maltraité son animal. I was afraid she had mistreated her pet.
tu eusses maltraité J’aurais souhaité que tu eusses maltraité ton frère. I wished you had mistreated your brother.
il eût maltraité J’aurais aimé qu’il eût maltraité cet enfant. I wish he had mistreated that child.
elle eût maltraité J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût maltraité sa famille. I wish she had mistreated her family.
on eût maltraité J’aurais souhaité qu’on eût maltraité ces animaux. I wished someone had mistreated these animals.
nous eussions maltraité J’aurais aimé que nous eussions maltraité ces personnes. I wish we had mistreated these individuals.
vous eussiez maltraité J’aurais espéré que vous eussiez maltraité ces personnes. I would have hoped that you had mistreated these people.
ils eussent maltraité J’aurais préféré qu’ils eussent maltraité ces personnes. I would have preferred that they had mistreated these individuals.
elles eussent maltraité J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent maltraité ces personnes. I wish they had mistreated these individuals.

Other Conjugations for Maltraiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb maltraiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the maltraiter Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Maltraiter – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb maltraiter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts