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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb congédier

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The English translation of the French verb congédier is “to dismiss” or “to fire.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kon-zhey-DYAY.”

Congédier comes from the Latin word “congédiare,” meaning “to send away” or “to dismiss.” It is often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical.

Here are three examples of congédier in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais demandé que tu aies congédié cet employé avant qu’il ne cause d’autres problèmes. (I had asked that you had dismissed this employee before he caused any more problems.)

  2. Elle avait peur que son patron l’ait congédiée après avoir découvert ses erreurs. (She was afraid that her boss had fired her after discovering her mistakes.)

  3. Il était surpris que nous ayons congédié le fournisseur à cause de sa mauvaise qualité de service. (He was surprised that we had dismissed the supplier because of their poor quality of service.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse congédié J’aurais préféré que je eusse congédié. I would have preferred to have dismissed.
tu eusses congédié J’aurais préféré que tu eusses congédié. I would have preferred you had dismissed.
il eût congédié J’aurais préféré qu’il eût congédié. I would have preferred he had dismissed.
elle eût congédié J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût congédié. I would have preferred she had dismissed.
on eût congédié J’aurais préféré qu’on eût congédié. I would have preferred one had dismissed.
nous eussions congédié J’aurais préféré que nous eussions congédié. I would have preferred we had dismissed.
vous eussiez congédié J’aurais préféré que vous eussiez congédié. I would have preferred you had dismissed.
ils eussent congédié J’aurais préféré qu’ils eussent congédié. I would have preferred they had dismissed.
elles eussent congédié J’aurais préféré qu’elles eussent congédié. I would have preferred they had dismissed.

Other Conjugations for Congédier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb congédier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Congédier – 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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ByMichael Burns

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of grammaticaliser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required).