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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fausser

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The English translation of the French verb fausser is “to distort” or “to falsify.” The infinitive form, fausser, is pronounced as “foh-seh.”

The origin of the word fausser can be traced back to the Latin word “fallere,” meaning “to deceive.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and has been used in various contexts to describe the act of altering or manipulating something in a dishonest or misleading way.

In everyday French, fausser is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait followed by the past participle of the main verb (faussé).

Here are three examples of fausser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Il est possible que le journaliste ait faussé les faits pour faire sensation. (It is possible that the journalist distorted the facts to create a sensation.)

  2. J’étais convaincu que mes amis avaient faussé mes intentions envers elle. (I was convinced that my friends had falsified my intentions towards her.)

  3. Il est dommage que l’artiste ait faussé son talent en cédant aux compromis commerciaux. (It is a shame that the artist distorted his talent by giving in to commercial compromises.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse faussé Ils ne me croiraient pas si je eusse faussé. They wouldn’t believe me if I had distorted the truth.
tu eusses faussé Tu ne dirais rien si tu eusses faussé. You wouldn’t say anything if you had distorted the truth.
il eût faussé Il ne serait pas venu si il eût faussé. He wouldn’t have come if he had distorted the truth.
elle eût faussé Elle ne serait pas venue si elle eût faussé. She wouldn’t have come if she had distorted the truth.
on eût faussé On ne serait pas venu si on eût faussé. One wouldn’t have come if one had distorted the truth.
nous eussions faussé Nous n’aurions pas cru si nous eussions faussé. We wouldn’t have believed if we had distorted the truth.
vous eussiez faussé Vous n’aurez pas cru si vous eussiez faussé. You wouldn’t have believed if you had distorted the truth.
ils eussent faussé Ils n’auraient pas cru si ils eussent faussé. They wouldn’t have believed if they had distorted the truth.
elles eussent faussé Elles n’auraient pas cru si elles eussent faussé. They wouldn’t have believed if they had distorted the truth.

Other Conjugations for Fausser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fausser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fausser – 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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