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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mijoter

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The English translation of the French verb mijoter is “to simmer.” It is pronounced “mee-zho-tey” in its infinitive form.

The word mijoter comes from the Middle French word “mijoter,” which means “to cook on a low heat.” It is derived from the Latin word “mictio,” which means “to cook in a saucepan.” In everyday French, mijoter is most often used to describe the cooking technique of cooking food slowly and gently over a low heat, usually in a saucepan.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, mijoter is conjugated as “j’aie mijoté,” “tu aies mijoté,” “il/elle ait mijoté,” “nous ayons mijoté,” “vous ayez mijoté,” “ils/elles aient mijoté.” This tense is used to express an action that had already been completed in the past and is used in conjunction with the subjunctive mood to express doubt, desire, or possibility.

Example 1: J’aurais aimé que tu aies mijoté le ragoût pendant une heure avant de servir. (I would have liked for you to have simmered the stew for an hour before serving.)
Example 2: Il était possible que je n’aie pas assez mijoté la sauce, elle était un peu trop liquide. (It was possible that I had not simmered the sauce enough, it was a bit too liquid.)
Example 3: Nous n’aurions pas dû commencer à manger avant que le poulet n’ait mijoté pendant deux heures. (We should not have started eating before the chicken had simmered for two hours.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Mijoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mijoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mijoter – 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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