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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entortiller

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The English translation of the French verb entortiller is “to tangle” or “to twist.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ahn-tor-tee-yay.”

The word entortiller comes from the French prefix “en-” meaning “in, into” and the verb tortiller which means “to twist” or “to wriggle.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of tangling or twisting something, such as hair, thread, or a rope.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, entortiller is used to express a past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the Subjonctif Imparfait, followed by the past participle entortillé.

Here are three simple examples of entortiller in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais entortillé mes cheveux avant de sortir. (I had tangled my hair before going out.)
  2. Il avait entortillé la ficelle autour de ses doigts avant de l’enrouler. (He had twisted the string around his fingers before wrapping it.)
  3. Nous étions entrés dans la caverne où nous avions entortillé les cordes pour descendre. (We had entered the cave where we had tangled the ropes to descend.)

In these examples, entortiller is used to describe an action that was already completed in the past, before another action or event. It is often used in storytelling or recounting past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse entortillé Il était important que je eusse entortillé mes cheveux. It was important that I had twisted my hair.
tu eusses entortillé J’aurais préféré que tu eusses entortillé la corde. I would have preferred that you had twisted the rope.
il eût entortillé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût entortillé les fils. I wish he had twisted the wires.
elle eût entortillé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût entortillé les bandages. I wish she had twisted the bandages.
on eût entortillé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût entortillé les cordons. I wish one had twisted the cords.
nous eussions entortillé Il aurait été préférable que nous eussions entortillé les cheveux. It would have been better if we had twisted our hair.
vous eussiez entortillé Nous aurions aimé que vous eussiez entortillé les fils électriques. We would have liked if you had twisted the electrical wires.
ils eussent entortillé Il aurait été préférable qu’ils eussent entortillé les cordes. It would have been better if they had twisted the ropes.
elles eussent entortillé Il aurait été préférable qu’elles eussent entortillé les bandages. It would have been better if they had twisted the bandages.

Other Conjugations for Entortiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entortiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Entortiller – 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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