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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb assiéger

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The English translation of the French verb assiéger is “to besiege.” It is pronounced as ah-see-ay-zhay.

Assiéger comes from the Latin word “assidere” meaning “to sit beside” or “to sit near.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used in military contexts to describe the act of surrounding and attacking a fortified place. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense and expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that took place before another past action.

Here are 3 simple examples of assiéger in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais peur qu’ils m’aient assiégé pendant mon absence. (I was afraid they had besieged me during my absence.)
  2. Il était possible que la ville ait été assiégée depuis des mois avant de se rendre. (It was possible that the city had been besieged for months before surrendering.)
  3. Elle était triste que son château eût été assiégé et détruit pendant la guerre. (She was sad that her castle had been besieged and destroyed during the war.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse assiégé Si j’avais su, je eusse assiégé la ville. If I had known, I would have besieged the city.
tu eusses assiégé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses assiégé la ville. I wish you had besieged the city.
il eût assiégé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût assiégé la ville. I wish he had besieged the city.
elle eût assiégé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût assiégé la ville. I wish she had besieged the city.
on eût assiégé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût assiégé la ville. I wish one had besieged the city.
nous eussions assiégé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions assiégé la ville. I wish we had besieged the city.
vous eussiez assiégé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez assiégé la ville. I wish you had besieged the city.
ils eussent assiégé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent assiégé la ville. I wish they had besieged the city.
elles eussent assiégé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent assiégé la ville. I wish they had besieged the city.

Other Conjugations for Assiéger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb assiéger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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