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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb excepter

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The English translation of the French verb excepter is “to except” or “to exclude.” It is pronounced as “eks-sep-tey” in its infinitive form.

The word “excepter” comes from the Latin word “exceptus,” meaning “to take out” or “to exclude.” In everyday French, it is most often used as a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, it is used to express a past hypothetical action or condition.

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

  1. J’avais excepté que tu viennes à la fête. (I had excepted that you would come to the party.)

  2. Tu avais excepté qu’il ne soit pas là. (You had excepted that he would not be there.)

  3. Il avait excepté que nous terminions le projet à temps. (He had excepted that we would finish the project on time.)

In all three examples, the verb “excepter” is used to express an exception or condition that was expected or planned in the past. The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to convey the idea that the action or condition was not certain or did not actually happen. In English, this tense is often translated using “would have” or “had.”

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse excepté Il aurait mieux valu que je eusse excepté la soirée. I wish I had excepted the evening.
tu eusses excepté Il aurait mieux valu que tu eusses excepté la soirée. I wish you had excepted the evening.
il eût excepté Il aurait mieux valu qu’il eût excepté la soirée. I wish he had excepted the evening.
elle eût excepté Il aurait mieux valu qu’elle eût excepté la soirée. I wish she had excepted the evening.
on eût excepté Il aurait mieux valu qu’on eût excepté la soirée. I wish one had excepted the evening.
nous eussions excepté Il aurait mieux valu que nous eussions excepté la soirée. I wish we had excepted the evening.
vous eussiez excepté Il aurait mieux valu que vous eussiez excepté la soirée. I wish you had excepted the evening.
ils eussent excepté Il aurait mieux valu qu’ils eussent excepté la soirée. I wish they had excepted the evening.
elles eussent excepté Il aurait mieux valu qu’elles eussent excepté la soirée. I wish they had excepted the evening.

Other Conjugations for Excepter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb excepter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Excepter – 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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