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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrêner

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The English translation of the French verb enrêner is “to harness.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-ren-ay.”

The verb enrêner comes from the Old French word “ren,” which means “rein.” It is most often used in every day French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a literary tense used to express a past event that was supposed to happen before another past event.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais craint qu’il n’enrêne le cheval avant que je ne puisse monter dessus. (I had feared that he would harness the horse before I could get on it.)
  2. Le cocher avait insisté pour que nous ayons préparé les chevaux avant qu’il n’enrêne le carrosse. (The coachman had insisted that we had prepared the horses before he harnessed the carriage.)
  3. Elle était contente que son mari l’eût aidée à enrêner les chevaux pour leur balade en calèche. (She was happy that her husband had helped her harness the horses for their carriage ride.)

In all of these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past event (harnessing the horse or preparing the carriage) that was supposed to happen before another past event (getting on the horse or going for a ride).

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

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

Other Conjugations for Enrêner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrêner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enrêner – 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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