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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embaucher

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The English translation of the French verb embaucher is “to hire.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahm-boh-shay.”

The language origin of embaucher can be traced back to the Old French word “baucher,” meaning “to pay.” It evolved into “bauchier,” which meant “to retain as a worker.” Over time, the prefix “em-” was added, creating the modern word “embaucher” with the meaning “to hire” or “to take into one’s service.”

In everyday French, embaucher is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal past action. This tense is often used in conditional sentences or when expressing doubts or wishes about an action that has already happened.

Three examples of embaucher in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with English translations are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies embauché pour ce poste. (I would have liked for you to have hired me for this position.)

  2. Il aurait fallu que j’aie été embauchée avant de pouvoir commencer à travailler. (I would have needed to have been hired before being able to start working.)

  3. Si j’avais suivi mes études en gestion, j’aurais peut-être été embauché par cette entreprise. (If I had pursued my studies in management, I perhaps would have been hired by this company.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Embaucher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embaucher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embaucher – 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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