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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déjeuner

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The English translation of the French verb déjeuner is “to have lunch”. It is pronounced as “day-juh-nay”.

Déjeuner comes from the Latin word “disiunare” meaning “to break one’s fast”. It is most often used in everyday French as a regular -er verb, meaning it follows the same conjugation pattern as other regular -er verbs in French.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, déjeuner is used to express an action that would have taken place before another past event. For example:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies déjeuné avant de partir. (I wish you had had lunch before leaving.)
  2. Il était important que nous eussions déjeuné avant la réunion. (It was important that we had had lunch before the meeting.)
  3. Mes parents auraient voulu que j’eusse déjeuné avec eux hier. (My parents would have liked me to have had lunch with them yesterday.)

In these examples, déjeuner is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that would have happened before another past event. The English translation of the verb remains the same, but the use of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense adds a sense of hypothetical or uncertain possibility to the action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Déjeuner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déjeuner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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