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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb convoquer

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The English translation of the French verb convoquer is “to convene” or “to summon.” It is pronounced as “kon-vo-kay” in its infinitive form.

The word convoquer comes from the Latin word “convoquare” which means “to call together.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that was completed before another past action or event.

Examples:

  1. Il fallait que tu aies convoqué la réunion avant que je ne parte. (You needed to have convened the meeting before I left.)
  2. Nous étions en retard car le patron avait convoqué une réunion d’urgence. (We were late because the boss had summoned an emergency meeting.)
  3. Les étudiants avaient peur que le professeur ne les ait convoqués pour leur manque de travail. (The students were afraid that the teacher had summoned them for their lack of work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse convoqué Il aurait été mieux si j’avais eusse convoqué. It would have been better if I had called.
tu eusses convoqué Il aurait été mieux si tu eusses convoqué. It would have been better if you had called.
il eût convoqué Il aurait été mieux si il eût convoqué. It would have been better if he had called.
elle eût convoqué Il aurait été mieux si elle eût convoqué. It would have been better if she had called.
on eût convoqué Il aurait été mieux si on eût convoqué. It would have been better if one had called.
nous eussions convoqué Il aurait été mieux si nous eussions convoqué. It would have been better if we had called.
vous eussiez convoqué Il aurait été mieux si vous eussiez convoqué. It would have been better if you had called.
ils eussent convoqué Il aurait été mieux si ils eussent convoqué. It would have been better if they had called.
elles eussent convoqué Il aurait été mieux si elles eussent convoqué. It would have been better if they had called.

Other Conjugations for Convoquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb convoquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb convoquer
    (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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Convoquer – 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 convoquer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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