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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fenêtrer

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The English translation of the French verb fenêtrer is “to window” or “to put windows in.” It is pronounced as “feh-neh-tray.”

The word fenêtrer is derived from the French noun fenêtre, meaning “window.” It is most often used in everyday French in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense and is used to express actions or events that are hypothetical, uncertain, or contrary to reality in the past.

Here are three examples of fenêtrer in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Il fallait que tu eusses fenêtré la chambre avant que je rentre. (You had to have put windows in the room before I come back.)
  2. Nous aurions aimé que vous eussiez fenêtré la maison avant la saison des pluies. (We would have liked for you to have put windows in the house before the rainy season.)
  3. Il aurait été préférable que les ouvriers eussent fenêtré les bâtiments avant l’arrivée de l’hiver. (It would have been preferable for the workers to have put windows in the buildings before the arrival of winter.)

English translations:

  1. You needed to have put windows in the room before I came back.
  2. We would have liked for you to have put windows in the house before the rainy season.
  3. It would have been preferable for the workers to have put windows in the buildings before the arrival of winter.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Fenêtrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fenêtrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Fenêtrer – 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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