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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enchanter

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The English translation of the French verb enchanter is “to enchant” or “to charm.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-shahn-tay.”

The word “enchanter” comes from the Old French word “enchantier,” which means “to put under a spell.” It is derived from the Latin word “incantare,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, “enchanter” is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action or event that is hypothetical or desired.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu m’enchantasses avec ta musique. (I would have liked it if you had charmed me with your music.)
  2. Il aurait fallu qu’elle nous enchante avec sa voix pour que la soirée soit vraiment mémorable. (She should have enchanted us with her voice for the evening to be truly memorable.)
  3. Si nous avions su qu’il t’enchantât avec son discours, nous t’aurions prévenue. (If we had known he would charm you with his speech, we would have warned you.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse enchanté Il était temps que je eusse enchanté. It was time for me to have enchanted.
tu eusses enchanté Il était temps que tu eusses enchanté. It was time for you to have enchanted.
il eût enchanté Il était temps qu’il eût enchanté. It was time for him to have enchanted.
elle eût enchanté Il était temps qu’elle eût enchanté. It was time for her to have enchanted.
on eût enchanté Il était temps qu’on eût enchanté. It was time for one to have enchanted.
nous eussions enchanté Il était temps que nous eussions enchanté. It was time for us to have enchanted.
vous eussiez enchanté Il était temps que vous eussiez enchanté. It was time for you to have enchanted.
ils eussent enchanté Il était temps qu’ils eussent enchanté. It was time for them to have enchanted.
elles eussent enchanté Il était temps qu’elles eussent enchanté. It was time for them to have enchanted.

Other Conjugations for Enchanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enchanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enchanter – 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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