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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb faignanter

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The English translation of the French verb faignanter is “to laze around” or “to slack off”. The infinitive form of faignanter is pronounced as “fayn-gahn-tay”.

The word faignanter comes from the French word “fainéant” which means “lazy” or “idler”. It is derived from the Old French word “faineant” which comes from the Latin word “fācinus” meaning “crime” or “bad deed”.

In everyday French, faignanter is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a completed action in the past that is uncertain or doubtful. It is usually used in a negative sentence or in a question.

Example 1:
Je doute que tu aies faignanté toute la journée.
(I doubt that you have been lazing around all day.)
Example 2:
Elle n’avait pas cru que son frère aurait faignanté pendant les vacances.
(She didn’t believe that her brother would have been slacking off during the holidays.)
Example 3:
Est-ce que vous douteriez qu’ils aient faignanté au lieu d’étudier?
(Would you doubt that they have been lazy instead of studying?)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express doubt or uncertainty about the action of lazing around in the past. The auxiliary verbs “avoir” and “être” are conjugated in the present subjunctive form before the past participle of “faignanter” (aies faignanté, aurait faignanté, aient faignanté). The word “que” is used to introduce the subordinate clause in these sentences.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse faignanté Je regrette que j’eusse faignanté. I wish I hadn’t lazed around.
tu eusses faignanté Je regrette que tu eusses faignanté. I wish you hadn’t lazed around.
il eût faignanté Je regrette qu’il eût faignanté. I wish he hadn’t lazed around.
elle eût faignanté Je regrette qu’elle eût faignanté. I wish she hadn’t lazed around.
on eût faignanté Je regrette qu’on eût faignanté. I wish one hadn’t lazed around.
nous eussions faignanté Je regrette que nous eussions faignanté. I wish we hadn’t lazed around.
vous eussiez faignanté Je regrette que vous eussiez faignanté. I wish you hadn’t lazed around.
ils eussent faignanté Je regrette qu’ils eussent faignanté. I wish they hadn’t lazed around.
elles eussent faignanté Je regrette qu’elles eussent faignanté. I wish they hadn’t lazed around.

Other Conjugations for Faignanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb faignanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Faignanter – 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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