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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engainer

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The English translation of the French verb engainer is “to sheathe” or “to encase.” It is pronounced as “ahn-gey-nay.”

The language origin of engainer can be traced back to the Old French word “engaignier,” which means “to ensnare” or “to deceive.” Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to the action of enclosing or covering something, leading to its current meaning.

In everyday French, engainer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a compound tense used to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

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

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies engainé ton épée avant de quitter le château. (I wish you had sheathed your sword before leaving the castle.)
  2. Il était important que le peintre eût engainé ses pinceaux avant de commencer son oeuvre. (It was important that the painter had sheathed his brushes before starting his work.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que les chevaux eussent engainé leurs sabots pour éviter de blesser les enfants. (We would have preferred if the horses had sheathed their hooves to avoid hurting the children.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse engainé J’aurais aimé que je eusse engainé mon épée. I wish I had sheathed my sword.
tu eusses engainé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses engainé ton épée. I wish you had sheathed your sword.
il eût engainé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût engainé son épée. I wish he had sheathed his sword.
elle eût engainé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût engainé son épée. I wish she had sheathed her sword.
on eût engainé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût engainé son épée. I wish one had sheathed their sword.
nous eussions engainé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions engainé nos épées. I wish we had sheathed our swords.
vous eussiez engainé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez engainé vos épées. I wish you had sheathed your swords.
ils eussent engainé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent engainé leurs épées. I wish they had sheathed their swords.
elles eussent engainé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent engainé leurs épées. I wish they had sheathed their swords.

Other Conjugations for Engainer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engainer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Engainer – 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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