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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en tirer

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The English translation of the French verb en tirer is “to draw from” or “to get from.” The infinitive form, tirer, is pronounced as “teer-ay.”

En tirer comes from the Old French word “tirer,” meaning “to draw” or “to pull.” It is most often used as a transitive verb in everyday French, meaning it requires a direct object to complete its meaning.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, en tirer is used to express actions that would have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met. It is formed by combining the subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb avoir or être with the past participle of en tirer.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé qu’elle en ait tiré une leçon. (I would have liked her to have learned a lesson from it.)

  2. Si tu avais écouté mes conseils, tu en aurais tiré profit. (If you had listened to my advice, you would have benefited from it.)

  3. Elle doutait qu’il en eût tiré la bonne conclusion. (She doubted that he had drawn the right conclusion from it.)

  4. I would have liked her to have learned a lesson from it.

  5. If you had listened to my advice, you would have benefited from it.

  6. She doubted that he had drawn the right conclusion from it.

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

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

Other Conjugations for En Tirer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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En Tirer – 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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