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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discerner

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The English translation of the French verb discerner is “to discern” or “to distinguish.” It is pronounced as “dees-sehr-neh.”

The word discerner comes from the Old French word “discernir,” which comes from the Latin word “discernere” meaning “to separate” or “to distinguish.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of distinguishing or differentiating between things or ideas.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, discerner is used to express a past action that is uncertain or hypothetical. It is often used after expressions such as “il est possible que” (it is possible that) or “je doute que” (I doubt that).

Here are three examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. Il est possible que j’aie discerné la vérité. (It is possible that I had discerned the truth.)
  2. Je doute qu’il ait discerné la différence entre les deux options. (I doubt that he had discerned the difference between the two options.)
  3. Il est improbable que nous ayons discerné la bonne réponse. (It is unlikely that we had discerned the correct answer.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Discerner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discerner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Discerner – 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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