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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb amuser

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The English translation of the French verb amuser is “to amuse” or “to entertain.” The infinitive form, amuser, is pronounced ah-moo-zay.

Amuser comes from the Latin word amusare, meaning “to divert” or “to entertain.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is often used in everyday speech to express the idea of having a good time or enjoying oneself.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, amuser is used to convey a past hypothetical event or action. It is typically used after a verb expressing doubt, desire, or emotion.

Examples:

  1. Il était dommage que tu ne te sois pas amusé à la fête hier soir. (It was a shame that you didn’t have a good time at the party last night.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que mes amis se soient amusés à la soirée. (I wish my friends had enjoyed themselves at the party.)

  3. Elle souhaitait que les enfants se fussent amusés à la plage. (She wanted the children to have fun at the beach.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express past actions that did not actually happen, but were desired or doubted by the speaker. The English translations also use the past tense to convey this same sense of hypothetical or unreal events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse amusé Il était temps que je eusse amusé. It was time that I had amused.
tu eusses amusé Il était temps que tu eusses amusé. It was time that you had amused.
il eût amusé Il était temps qu’il eût amusé. It was time that he had amused.
elle eût amusé Il était temps qu’elle eût amusé. It was time that she had amused.
on eût amusé Il était temps qu’on eût amusé. It was time that one had amused.
nous eussions amusé Il était temps que nous eussions amusé. It was time that we had amused.
vous eussiez amusé Il était temps que vous eussiez amusé. It was time that you had amused.
ils eussent amusé Il était temps qu’ils eussent amusé. It was time that they had amused.
elles eussent amusé Il était temps qu’elles eussent amusé. It was time that they had amused.

Other Conjugations for Amuser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb amuser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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