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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encercler

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The English translation of the French verb encercler is “to encircle” or “to surround.” It is pronounced as “ahn-ser-kleh.”

The word encercler comes from the Latin word “circulus” meaning “circle.” In everyday French, encercler is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain.

Here are three simple examples of encercler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Si j’avais encerclé la ville, nous n’aurions pas été pris. (If I had encircled the city, we would not have been caught.)

  2. Il aurait fallu que tu encercles le mot important pour le mettre en évidence. (You should have encircled the important word to highlight it.)

  3. Nous aurions aimé que vous encercliez la date sur le calendrier. (We would have liked for you to encircle the date on the calendar.)

English translations:

  1. If I had encircled the city, we would not have been caught.

  2. You should have encircled the important word to highlight it.

  3. We would have liked for you to encircle the date on the calendar.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse encerclé Si je l’avais vu avant, j’aurais aimé que je l’eusse encerclé. If I had seen it before, I wish I had circled it.
tu eusses encerclé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses encerclé cette phrase. I wish you had circled this sentence.
il eût encerclé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût encerclé le bon mot. I wish he had circled the right word.
elle eût encerclé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût encerclé la réponse. I wish she had circled the answer.
on eût encerclé Si on avait su, j’aurais aimé qu’on eût encerclé le chemin. If we had known, I wish we had circled the path.
nous eussions encerclé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions encerclé cette partie. I wish we had circled this part.
vous eussiez encerclé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez encerclé les mots clés. I wish you had circled the keywords.
ils eussent encerclé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent encerclé les fautes. I wish they had circled the mistakes.
elles eussent encerclé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent encerclé les phrases importantes. I wish they had circled the important sentences.

Other Conjugations for Encercler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encercler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Encercler – 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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