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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entrelacer

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The English translation of the French verb entrelacer is “to intertwine” or “to interlace.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-treh-lah-say.”

Entrelacer comes from the French words “entre,” meaning “between,” and “lacer,” meaning “to lace.” It originated from the Latin word “intreligere,” which means “to bind together.”

In everyday French, entrelacer is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that happened before another past action.

Example 1: J’aurais aimé que tu m’aies entrelacé les doigts. (I would have liked it if you had intertwined your fingers with mine.)
Example 2: Elle regrettait que les branches se fussent entrelacées. (She regretted that the branches had intertwined.)
Example 3: Il était content que les chemins se soient entrelacés. (He was happy that the paths had interlaced.)

In these examples, the subjunctive plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past event that is uncertain or hypothetical. It is often used in complex sentences with two different past actions, where the subjunctive plus-que-parfait tense is used for the action that happened first.

English translations:

  1. I wish you had intertwined your fingers with mine.
  2. She regretted that the branches had intertwined.
  3. He was happy that the paths had interlaced.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse entrelacé Il aurait été heureux que je eusse entrelacé leurs mains. He would have been happy for me to have intertwined their hands.
tu eusses entrelacé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses entrelacé nos destins. I wish you had intertwined our destinies.
il eût entrelacé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût entrelacé ces cordes. I wish he had intertwined these ropes.
elle eût entrelacé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût entrelacé ses doigts avec les miens. I wish she had intertwined her fingers with mine.
on eût entrelacé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût entrelacé nos idées. I wish we had intertwined our ideas.
nous eussions entrelacé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions entrelacé nos destins. I wish we had intertwined our destinies.
vous eussiez entrelacé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez entrelacé vos mains. I wish you had intertwined your hands.
ils eussent entrelacé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent entrelacé leurs chemins. I wish they had intertwined their paths.
elles eussent entrelacé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent entrelacé leurs histoires. I wish they had intertwined their stories.

Other Conjugations for Entrelacer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entrelacer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Entrelacer – 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 entrelacer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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