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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb exiger

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The English translation of the French verb exiger is “to demand” or “to require.” It is pronounced as “eg-zhee-zhey.”

The language origin of exiger can be traced back to the Latin word “exigere,” which means “to weigh” or “to demand.” In everyday French, exiger is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action in the past.

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

  1. Il fallait que tu eusses exigé plus de temps pour finir ce projet. (You should have demanded more time to finish this project.)

  2. Nous aurions exigé qu’ils se comportent mieux lors de la réunion. (We would have demanded that they behave better during the meeting.)

  3. J’aurais exigé qu’elle ne parle pas de mes problèmes personnels devant tout le monde. (I would have demanded that she not talk about my personal problems in front of everyone.)

In all of these examples, exiger is used to express a requirement or demand in the past, in a hypothetical or uncertain manner. The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is often used in French to express regrets or wishes about past events, and exiger is commonly used in this context to express a demand or requirement that was not met.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Exiger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb exiger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Exiger – 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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