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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enivrer

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The English translation of the French verb enivrer is “to intoxicate” or “to get drunk.” It is pronounced as “eh-nee-vray.”

Enivrer comes from the Latin word “inebriare” which also means “to intoxicate.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that is completed before another action in the past.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. Il était temps que tu te sois enivré avant de commencer à conduire. (It was about time that you had gotten drunk before starting to drive.)
  2. J’avais peur qu’elle se soit enivrée seule à la soirée. (I was afraid that she had gotten drunk alone at the party.)
  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous ne vous soyez pas enivrés pendant le dîner. (We would have preferred that you hadn’t gotten drunk during dinner.)

In all of these examples, enivrer is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that happened before another past action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Enivrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enivrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enivrer – 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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