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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb marivauder

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The English translation of the French verb marivauder is “to flirt” or “to engage in witty conversation.” The infinitive form is pronounced “mah-ree-voh-deh.”

Marivauder comes from the name of the French playwright and novelist Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux. In the 18th century, Marivaux was known for his writings on love and seduction, and his name became associated with flirtatious and witty conversation. This eventually led to the creation of the verb marivauder.

In everyday French, marivauder is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the literary equivalent of the English past subjunctive. This tense expresses a hypothetical or imaginary action that takes place before another past action. It is typically used in formal or literary contexts.

Here are three simple examples of marivauder used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Ils avaient marivaudé toute la nuit avant de se séparer. (They had flirted all night before parting ways.)
  2. Si j’avais su qu’il m’aimait, j’aurais marivaudé avec lui dès le premier jour. (If I had known he loved me, I would have flirted with him from the first day.)
  3. Elle aurait aimé qu’il marivaudât avec elle, mais il était trop timide. (She would have liked him to flirt with her, but he was too shy.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse marivaudé J’aurais aimé que je eusse marivaudé. I wish I had flirted.
tu eusses marivaudé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses marivaudé. I wish you had flirted.
il eût marivaudé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût marivaudé. I wish he had flirted.
elle eût marivaudé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût marivaudé. I wish she had flirted.
on eût marivaudé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût marivaudé. I wish one had flirted.
nous eussions marivaudé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions marivaudé. I wish we had flirted.
vous eussiez marivaudé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez marivaudé. I wish you had flirted.
ils eussent marivaudé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent marivaudé. I wish they had flirted.
elles eussent marivaudé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent marivaudé. I wish they had flirted.

Other Conjugations for Marivauder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb marivauder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Marivauder – 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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