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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb céder

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The English translation of the French verb céder is “to yield” or “to give in.” It is pronounced as “seh-deh” in its infinitive form.

The word céder comes from the Latin word “cedere” which means “to go away, give way, yield.” In modern French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past possibility or condition that did not happen.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu penses à céder ta place à ton frère. (I wish you had thought about giving your seat to your brother.)
  2. Si elle avait eu plus de temps, elle aurait cédé à ses demandes. (If she had had more time, she would have yielded to his requests.)
  3. Il aurait été mieux que vous cédiez vos droits à votre sœur. (It would have been better if you had given up your rights to your sister.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Céder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb céder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Céder – 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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