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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrôler

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The English translation of the French verb enrôler is “to enroll” or “to enlist.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ahn-roh-lay.”

Enrôler comes from the Old French word “enroller,” which has roots in the Latin word “enrollare,” meaning “to roll up.” It first appeared in written French around the 14th century.

In everyday French, enrôler is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a hypothetical or unreal action that took place before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. “J’aurais été enrôlé dans l’armée si j’avais passé le test physique.” (I would have been enrolled in the army if I had passed the physical test.)
  2. “Il aurait fallu que je sois enrôlée dans ce programme pour participer à l’échange.” (I would have needed to be enrolled in this program to participate in the exchange.)
  3. “Si elle avait été enrôlée dans cette compagnie, elle aurait eu plus d’opportunités de carrière.” (If she had been enrolled in this company, she would have had more career opportunities.)

English translations:

  1. “I would have been enrolled in the army if I had passed the physical test.”
  2. “I would have needed to be enrolled in this program to participate in the exchange.”
  3. “If she had been enrolled in this company, she would have had more career opportunities.”

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

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

Other Conjugations for Enrôler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrôler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enrôler – 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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