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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enquêter

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of enquêter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb enquêter is “to investigate.” It is pronounced “ahn-keh-teh.”

Enquêter comes from the Old French word “enquester,” which means “to inquire.” It is derived from the Latin word “inquirere,” which has the same meaning. In modern French, enquêter is most often used in the context of conducting an investigation or inquiry.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, enquêter is used to express a past hypothetical action or situation. It is typically used after expressions such as “il est possible que” (it is possible that), “il est probable que” (it is probable that), or “il est nécessaire que” (it is necessary that).

Here are three examples of enquêter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Il est possible qu’ils aient enquêté sur l’affaire. (It is possible that they have investigated the case.)

  2. Il est probable que la police ait enquêté sur ce meurtre depuis des mois. (It is probable that the police have been investigating this murder for months.)

  3. Il est nécessaire que nous ayons enquêté sur toutes les pistes avant de prendre une décision. (It is necessary that we have investigated all leads before making a decision.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse enquêté Je suis content que je eusse enquêté. I am glad that I had investigated.
tu eusses enquêté Je suis content que tu eusses enquêté. I am glad that you had investigated.
il eût enquêté Je suis content qu’il eût enquêté. I am glad that he had investigated.
elle eût enquêté Je suis content qu’elle eût enquêté. I am glad that she had investigated.
on eût enquêté Je suis content qu’on eût enquêté. I am glad that one had investigated.
nous eussions enquêté Je suis content que nous eussions enquêté. I am glad that we had investigated.
vous eussiez enquêté Je suis content que vous eussiez enquêté. I am glad that you had investigated.
ils eussent enquêté Je suis content qu’ils eussent enquêté. I am glad that they had investigated.
elles eussent enquêté Je suis content qu’elles eussent enquêté. I am glad that they had investigated.

Other Conjugations for Enquêter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enquêter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the enquêter Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Enquêter – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb enquêter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts