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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb efforcer

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The English translation of the French verb efforcer is “to try” or “to make an effort.” The infinitive form is pronounced “eh-for-seh.”

The word efforcer comes from the Latin word “efforciare” meaning “to exert oneself” or “to force.” In everyday French, it is commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that was attempted or made an effort to achieve in the past.

Examples of efforcer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais essayé de m’efforcer de lui plaire, mais il ne m’aimait pas. (I had tried to make an effort to please him, but he didn’t love me.)

  2. Elle avait fait tout son possible pour s’efforcer de comprendre, mais c’était trop difficile. (She had done everything possible to try to understand, but it was too difficult.)

  3. Nous avions espéré que tu te serais efforcé de finir le projet à temps. (We had hoped that you would have made an effort to finish the project on time.)

English translations:

  1. I had tried to make an effort to please him, but he didn’t love me.

  2. She had done everything possible to try to understand, but it was too difficult.

  3. We had hoped that you would have made an effort to finish the project on time.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse efforcé Je regrette que je eusse efforcé. I regret that I had tried.
tu eusses efforcé Je regrette que tu eusses efforcé. I regret that you had tried.
il eût efforcé Je regrette qu’il eût efforcé. I regret that he had tried.
elle eût efforcé Je regrette qu’elle eût efforcé. I regret that she had tried.
on eût efforcé Je regrette qu’on eût efforcé. I regret that one had tried.
nous eussions efforcé Je regrette que nous eussions efforcé. I regret that we had tried.
vous eussiez efforcé Je regrette que vous eussiez efforcé. I regret that you had tried.
ils eussent efforcé Je regrette qu’ils eussent efforcé. I regret that they had tried.
elles eussent efforcé Je regrette qu’elles eussent efforcé. I regret that they had tried.

Other Conjugations for Efforcer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb efforcer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Efforcer – 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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