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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enflécher

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The English translation of enflécher is “to feather” or “to fletch.” It is pronounced as “ahn-fleh-shay.”

Enflécher comes from the French word “flèche,” meaning “arrow,” and the prefix “en-” which is used to indicate a change or transformation. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of adding feathers to an arrow to improve its stability and accuracy.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, enflécher is used in the past tense subjunctive form to express a hypothetical or unreal action that took place before another past action. It is commonly used in storytelling or expressing regrets.

Three examples of enflécher in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu enfléches l’arc avant de partir à la chasse. (I would have preferred that you feathered the bow before going hunting.)
  2. Il aurait fallu que nous enfléchions les flèches avec plus de précision. (We should have feathered the arrows with more precision.)
  3. Je regrette de ne pas avoir enfléché les flèches plus tôt, cela aurait peut-être changé le résultat du concours. (I regret not having feathered the arrows earlier, it may have changed the outcome of the competition.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse enfléché Il aurait été mieux si je eusse enfléché plus tôt. It would have been better if I had aimed earlier.
tu eusses enfléché J’ai peur que tu eusses enfléché trop haut. I’m afraid you aimed too high.
il eût enfléché Il est possible que tu ne sois pas là si il eût enfléché mieux. It’s possible you wouldn’t be here if he had aimed better.
elle eût enfléché Elle serait heureuse si elle eût enfléché plus souvent. She would be happy if she aimed more often.
on eût enfléché On aurait eu besoin d’un expert si on eût enfléché correctement. We would have needed an expert if we had aimed correctly.
nous eussions enfléché Nous aurions fait plus de progrès si nous eussions enfléché plus tôt. We would have made more progress if we had aimed earlier.
vous eussiez enfléché J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez enfléché plus près du centre. I wish you had aimed closer to the center.
ils eussent enfléché Je me demande où ils seraient maintenant s’ils eussent enfléché plus précisément. I wonder where they would be now if they had aimed more precisely.
elles eussent enfléché Je suis convaincu que nous aurions gagné si elles eussent enfléché mieux. I am convinced we would have won if they had aimed better.

Other Conjugations for Enflécher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enflécher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enflécher – 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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