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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enchaîner

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The English translation of the French verb enchaîner is “to chain” or “to link together.” The infinitive form is pronounced as [ahn-shay-neh].

Enchaîner comes from the Latin word “catena,” meaning “chain,” and entered the French language in the 14th century. It is a regular -er verb and is most commonly used in everyday French to express the action of connecting or linking things together.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, enchaîner is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another action in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait, followed by the past participle “enchaîné.” For example:

  1. J’aurais enchaîné les exercices avant de partir à la gym. (I would have chained the exercises before going to the gym.)
  2. Elle serait enchaînée à son travail toute la journée. (She would have been chained to her work all day.)
  3. Nous serions enchaînés à une routine quotidienne si nous n’avions pas décidé de voyager. (We would have been chained to a daily routine if we hadn’t decided to travel.)

In all of these examples, the action of “enchaîner” occurred before another action in the past (going to the gym, working, deciding to travel) and its completion is uncertain or hypothetical.

Note: The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is considered quite formal and is not often used in everyday spoken French. It is more commonly found in literature or formal writing.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Enchaîner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enchaîner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enchaîner – 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 enchaîner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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