Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Introduction to the verb commencer
The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to start” or “to begin.” It is pronounced as “koh-mahn-say” in the infinitive form.
The word commencer comes from the Latin word “cominitiare,” meaning “to initiate.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is used to express the action of starting or beginning something.
In everyday French, commencer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that has already been completed before another action in the past. This tense is formed by using the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” (depending on the verb) and the past participle of the main verb.
Examples:
-
J’étais contente qu’il eût commencé ses devoirs avant que je rentre à la maison.
(I was glad that he had started his homework before I came home.) -
Elle craignait que nous n’eussions pas commencé le projet à temps.
(She was afraid that we hadn’t started the project on time.) -
Ils étaient surpris que la fête eût déjà commencé quand ils sont arrivés.
(They were surprised that the party had already begun when they arrived.)
Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of commencer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Example Usage | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | eusse commencé | J’aurais aimé que je eusse commencé. | I wish I had started. |
tu | eusses commencé | J’aurais aimé que tu eusses commencé. | I wish you had started. |
il | eût commencé | J’aurais aimé qu’il eût commencé. | I wish he had started. |
elle | eût commencé | J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût commencé. | I wish she had started. |
on | eût commencé | J’aurais aimé qu’on eût commencé. | I wish one had started. |
nous | eussions commencé | J’aurais aimé que nous eussions commencé. | I wish we had started. |
vous | eussiez commencé | J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez commencé. | I wish you had started. |
ils | eussent commencé | J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent commencé. | I wish they had started. |
elles | eussent commencé | J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent commencé. | I wish they had started. |
Other Conjugations for Commencer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
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Commencer – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense
Formation
Common Everyday Usage Patterns
Hypothetical Situations
Reported Speech
Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions
Interactions with Other Tenses
Present Subjunctive
Imperfect Subjunctive
Conditional
Summary
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