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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb digresser

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb digresser is “to digress.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “dee-greh-SAY.”

Language origin: The verb digresser comes from the Latin word “digressus,” which means “to step aside” or “to deviate.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and has been adapted from the Latin form.

Usage in Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense: In everyday French, digresser is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past possibility or hypothetical action. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of digresser.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu ne digresses pas pendant notre réunion. (I would have liked for you not to digress during our meeting.)
  2. Il était possible que vous digressiez pendant votre présentation. (It was possible that you were digressing during your presentation.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous ne digressiez pas sur ce sujet. (We would have preferred for you not to digress on this subject.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse digressé Il aurait fallu que je eusse digressé plus tôt. I wish I had digressed earlier.
tu eusses digressé Il aurait fallu que tu eusses digressé plus tôt. I wish you had digressed earlier.
il eût digressé Il aurait fallu qu’il eût digressé plus tôt. I wish he had digressed earlier.
elle eût digressé Il aurait fallu qu’elle eût digressé plus tôt. I wish she had digressed earlier.
on eût digressé Il aurait fallu qu’on eût digressé plus tôt. I wish one had digressed earlier.
nous eussions digressé Il aurait fallu que nous eussions digressé plus tôt. I wish we had digressed earlier.
vous eussiez digressé Il aurait fallu que vous eussiez digressé plus tôt. I wish you had digressed earlier.
ils eussent digressé Il aurait fallu qu’ils eussent digressé plus tôt. I wish they had digressed earlier.
elles eussent digressé Il aurait fallu qu’elles eussent digressé plus tôt. I wish they had digressed earlier.

Other Conjugations for Digresser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb digresser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Digresser – 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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