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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb embraser

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The English translation of the French verb embraser is “to ignite” or “to set on fire.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahm-brah-zay.”

The word embraser comes from the Old French verb embraser which means “to set on fire.” It is derived from the Latin word “inbrasiare” which is a combination of the prefix “in” meaning “in” or “into” and the verb “brasiare” meaning “to set on fire.” In everyday French, embraser is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense.

Example 1: J’avais craint que le feu n’embrasât toute la forêt. (I had feared that the fire would set the whole forest ablaze.)
Example 2: Il était content que le groupe n’eût pas réussi à embraser la foule. (He was glad that the group had not succeeded in igniting the crowd.)
Example 3: Elle avait peur que son mari ne fût blessé en tentant d’embraser la maison. (She was afraid that her husband would be injured while trying to set the house on fire.)

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express actions or situations that took place before another action in the past. In these examples, embraser is used to indicate the intention or fear of starting a fire, and the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to show that this intention or fear happened before the main action in the sentence.

English translations have been provided for each example.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse embrasé Si je eusse embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If I had set the fire, the house would have burned.
tu eusses embrasé Si tu eusses embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If you had set the fire, the house would have burned.
il eût embrasé Si il eût embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If he had set the fire, the house would have burned.
elle eût embrasé Si elle eût embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If she had set the fire, the house would have burned.
on eût embrasé Si on eût embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If one had set the fire, the house would have burned.
nous eussions embrasé Si nous eussions embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If we had set the fire, the house would have burned.
vous eussiez embrasé Si vous eussiez embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If you had set the fire, the house would have burned.
ils eussent embrasé Si ils eussent embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If they had set the fire, the house would have burned.
elles eussent embrasé Si elles eussent embrasé le feu, la maison aurait brûlé. If they had set the fire, the house would have burned.

Other Conjugations for Embraser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb embraser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Embraser – 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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