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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enceinter

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of enceinter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb enceinter is “to surround” or “to enclose.” It is pronounced as “ahn-seyn-tey.”

The origin of the word enceinter comes from the Old French word “enceindre,” which means “to encircle” or “to surround.” It is derived from the Latin word “incingere,” which has a similar meaning. In everyday French, enceinter is often used to describe something that is surrounded or enclosed by something else.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, enceinter is used to express an action that was completed in the past and has an impact on a later event. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais peur qu’il eût enceinturé le bâtiment avant que je ne le voie. (I was afraid that he had surrounded the building before I saw it.)
  2. Elle craignait que la ville eût été enceinte de murs infranchissables. (She feared that the city had been enclosed by impassable walls.)
  3. Nous étions contents que tu eusses enceinté le jardin avant que la tempête n’arrive. (We were glad that you had enclosed the garden before the storm arrived.)

In these examples, you can see that enceinter is used to describe an action that was completed in the past (avoir enceinturé, avoir été enceinte, avoir enceinté) and has an impact on a later event (avant que je ne le voie, avant que la tempête n’arrive). The subjunctive mood is used to express doubt, fear, or desire in these sentences.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse enceinté Il est possible que je eusse enceinté avant de le savoir. I might have become pregnant before knowing it.
tu eusses enceinté J’espérais que tu eusses enceinté avant notre mariage. I hope you had gotten pregnant before our marriage.
il eût enceinté Il était nécessaire qu’il eût enceinté avant de partir en voyage. It was necessary for him to have gotten pregnant before going on a trip.
elle eût enceinté Elle aurait aimé qu’elle eût enceinté avant de partir en voyage. She would have liked to have gotten pregnant before going on a trip.
on eût enceinté Il était important qu’on eût enceinté avant de commencer les essais. It was important for us to have gotten pregnant before starting the trials.
nous eussions enceinté Si seulement nous eussions enceinté avant de perdre espoir. If only we had gotten pregnant before losing hope.
vous eussiez enceinté C’est dommage que vous eussiez enceinté après la date limite. It’s a shame that you had gotten pregnant after the deadline.
ils eussent enceinté Elle était convaincue qu’ils eussent enceinté avant leur départ. She was convinced that they had become pregnant before their departure.
elles eussent enceinté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent enceinté avant de déménager. I wish they had gotten pregnant before moving.

Other Conjugations for Enceinter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enceinter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the enceinter Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Enceinter – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb enceinter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts

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

ByMichael Burns

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of différencier. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required).