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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affliger

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The English translation of the French verb affliger is “to afflict/to distress”. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, the infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “af-lee-jay”.

The word “affliger” comes from the Latin word “affligere” which means “to strike down”. It first appeared in the French language in the 13th century and has been used in everyday French since then. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, it is mostly used to indicate a past action that was hypothetical or uncertain, often used in a negative or conditional sense.

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

  1. Je regrettais que tu aies été affligé par cette nouvelle. (I regretted that you had been distressed by this news.)
  2. Il était temps que les autorités eussent affligé une amende à cette entreprise. (It was time for the authorities to have imposed a fine on this company.)
  3. Nous aurions aimé que le médecin nous eût affligé un traitement plus efficace. (We would have liked the doctor to have prescribed a more effective treatment for us.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse affligé Il était dommage que je eusse affligé mon ami. It was unfortunate that I had afflicted my friend.
tu eusses affligé J’étais triste que tu eusses affligé ta famille. I was sad that you had afflicted your family.
il eût affligé Il était désolé qu’il eût affligé ses proches. He was sorry that he had afflicted his loved ones.
elle eût affligé Elle était peinée qu’elle eût affligé ses amis. She was upset that she had afflicted her friends.
on eût affligé Il était malheureux qu’on eût affligé nos voisins. It was unfortunate that we had afflicted our neighbors.
nous eussions affligé Il était regrettable que nous eussions affligé nos enfants. It was regrettable that we had afflicted our children.
vous eussiez affligé J’étais désolé que vous eussiez affligé votre communauté. I was sorry that you had afflicted your community.
ils eussent affligé Il était triste qu’ils eussent affligé leur village. It was sad that they had afflicted their village.
elles eussent affligé Elles étaient peinées qu’elles eussent affligé leurs proches. They were upset that they had afflicted their loved ones.

Other Conjugations for Affliger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affliger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Affliger – 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 affliger. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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