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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb emboîter

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The English translation of the French verb emboîter is “to fit together” or “to interlock.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “ahn-bwah-teh.”

Emboîter comes from the verb boîter, which means “to limp” or “to hobble.” The prefix “em-” means “in” or “within,” so emboîter can be understood as “to fit within” or “to interlock.” It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

Here are three examples of emboîter used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais suivi les instructions à la lettre, j’aurais emboîté toutes les pièces correctement. (If I had followed the instructions to the letter, I would have fit all the pieces together correctly.)

  2. Il m’avait dit qu’il aurait emboîté les tuyaux avant de partir en vacances. (He had told me that he would have fitted the pipes together before leaving on vacation.)

  3. J’aurais préféré que tu n’aies pas emboîté les mots de cette manière, c’est très confus. (I would have preferred if you had not interlocked the words in this way, it’s very confusing.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé que je eusse emboîté. If I had more time, I wish I had fitted.
tu eusses emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé que tu eusses emboîté. If I had more time, I wish you had fitted.
il eût emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé qu’il eût emboîté. If I had more time, I wish he had fitted.
elle eût emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé qu’elle eût emboîté. If I had more time, I wish she had fitted.
on eût emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé qu’on eût emboîté. If I had more time, I wish one had fitted.
nous eussions emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé que nous eussions emboîté. If I had more time, I wish we had fitted.
vous eussiez emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé que vous eussiez emboîté. If I had more time, I wish you had fitted.
ils eussent emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent emboîté. If I had more time, I wish they had fitted.
elles eussent emboîté Si j’avais eu plus de temps, j’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent emboîté. If I had more time, I wish they had fitted.

Other Conjugations for Emboîter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb emboîter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Emboîter – 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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