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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embastiller

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The English translation of the French verb embastiller is “to imprison” or “to lock up”. It is pronounced as ahn-bahs-tee-yay.

The language origin of embastiller can be traced back to the French word “bastille”, which means fortress or prison. The prefix “em-” adds the meaning of “to put in” or “to take on”. In everyday French, embastiller is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another past action.

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

  1. Ils craignaient que le président les ait embastillés pour leur participation à la manifestation. (They feared that the president had imprisoned them for their participation in the protest.)
  2. J’aurais été embastillé si je n’avais pas réussi à échapper à la police. (I would have been locked up if I hadn’t managed to escape the police.)
  3. Il était heureux que son ami l’ait aidé à s’enfuir avant d’être embastillé pour ses dettes. (He was relieved that his friend had helped him escape before he was imprisoned for his debts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse embastillé J’aimerais que je eusse embastillé ces criminels. I wish I had imprisoned these criminals.
tu eusses embastillé J’aimerais que tu eusses embastillé ces criminels. I wish you had imprisoned these criminals.
il eût embastillé J’aimerais qu’il eût embastillé ces criminels. I wish he had imprisoned these criminals.
elle eût embastillé J’aimerais qu’elle eût embastillé ces criminels. I wish she had imprisoned these criminals.
on eût embastillé J’aimerais qu’on eût embastillé ces criminels. I wish one had imprisoned these criminals.
nous eussions embastillé J’aimerais que nous eussions embastillé ces criminels. I wish we had imprisoned these criminals.
vous eussiez embastillé J’aimerais que vous eussiez embastillé ces criminels. I wish you had imprisoned these criminals.
ils eussent embastillé J’aimerais qu’ils eussent embastillé ces criminels. I wish they had imprisoned these criminals.
elles eussent embastillé J’aimerais qu’elles eussent embastillé ces criminels. I wish they had imprisoned these criminals.

Other Conjugations for Embastiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embastiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embastiller – 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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