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

Introduction to the verb ennuyer

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The English translation of the French verb ennuyer is “to bore” or “to annoy.” It is pronounced as “ah-noo-ee-ay.”

The language origin of ennuyer can be traced back to the Latin word “inodiare,” meaning “to cause hatred or disgust.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and evolved to mean “to cause boredom or annoyance.”

In everyday French, ennuyer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express an action that took place before another past action or event.

Here are 3 simple examples of ennuyer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’étais content que tu m’aies ennuyé avec tes histoires hier. (I was glad that you had bored me with your stories yesterday.)

  2. Elle était furieuse que le film l’eût ennuyée autant. (She was furious that the movie had bored her so much.)

  3. Nous étions désolés que nos voisins nous eussent ennuyés toute la nuit avec leur bruit. (We were sorry that our neighbors had annoyed us all night with their noise.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse ennuyé Elle avait peur que je eusse ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that I had annoyed her friend.
tu eusses ennuyé Elle avait peur que tu eusses ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that you had annoyed her friend.
il eût ennuyé Elle avait peur qu’il eût ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that he had annoyed her friend.
elle eût ennuyé Elle avait peur qu’elle eût ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that she had annoyed her friend.
on eût ennuyé Elle avait peur qu’on eût ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that one had annoyed her friend.
nous eussions ennuyé Elle avait peur que nous eussions ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that we had annoyed her friend.
vous eussiez ennuyé Elle avait peur que vous eussiez ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that you had annoyed her friend.
ils eussent ennuyé Elle avait peur qu’ils eussent ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that they had annoyed her friend.
elles eussent ennuyé Elle avait peur qu’elles eussent ennuyé son ami. She was afraid that they had annoyed her friend.

Other Conjugations for Ennuyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ennuyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Ennuyer – 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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