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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en inquiéter

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The English translation of the French verb en inquiéter is “to worry about”. It is pronounced as “ahn eh-keeh-teh”.

The origin of this verb comes from the Old French word “enquere”, which means “to search, inquire, or question”. Over time, it evolved to take on the meaning of “to worry or be anxious about”. In modern French, it is most commonly used to express concern or preoccupation about something or someone.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, en inquiéter is used to describe a past action or state of worry that was ongoing or continuous in the past. It is often used in conjunction with other verbs to express a specific action that caused the worry.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’étais en inquiétant pour mon ami qu’il ne réponde pas à mes messages. (I was worried about my friend not responding to my messages.)
  2. Ils avaient en inquiété pour leur fils qui était parti en voyage seul. (They had been worried about their son who had gone on a trip alone.)
  3. Elle avait en inquiétée pour son examen jusqu’à ce qu’elle reçoive ses résultats. (She had been worried about her exam until she received her results.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse inquiété J’avais peur qu’elle eût inquiété. I was afraid she had worried.
tu eusses inquiété Il semblait qu’elle eût inquiété. It seemed like she had worried.
il eût inquiété J’aimais mieux qu’il eût inquiété. I preferred he had worried.
elle eût inquiété Il fallait qu’elle eût inquiété. She had to have worried.
on eût inquiété Il est possible qu’on eût inquiété. It’s possible that one had worried.
nous eussions inquiété Il faudrait qu’on eût inquiété. We should have worried.
vous eussiez inquiété J’aurais craint que vous eussiez inquiété. I would have feared you had worried.
ils eussent inquiété Il est important qu’ils eussent inquiété. It’s important that they had worried.
elles eussent inquiété Il est dommage qu’elles eussent inquiété. It’s a shame that they had worried.

Other Conjugations for En Inquiéter.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb en inquiéter
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en inquiéter
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en inquiéter
   

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

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en inquiéter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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En Inquiéter – 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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