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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embarrasser

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English translation: to embarrass

Pronunciation: ahm-bah-ra-say

Language origin: The verb embarrasser comes from the Old French word embarras, meaning “obstacle” or “difficulty.” It entered the English language in the 17th century and has since evolved to mean “to cause discomfort or awkwardness.”

Usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense: In everyday French, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a hypothetical or imagined action that took place in the past.

Example 1: J’étais embarrassé que vous ayez vu cette photo.
English translation: I was embarrassed that you had seen that photo.

Example 2: Il était embarrassé qu’elle ait mal interprété ses paroles.
English translation: He was embarrassed that she had misunderstood his words.

Example 3: Nous étions embarrassés que la soirée soit annulée à la dernière minute.
English translation: We were embarrassed that the party was canceled at the last minute.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Embarrasser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarrasser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embarrasser
    (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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Embarrasser – 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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