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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fier

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The English translation of the French verb fier is “to trust” or “to rely on.” The infinitive form is pronounced “fee-ay.”

The word fier comes from the Latin word “fidere,” meaning “to trust” or “to have faith in.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical action that has already happened in the past. This tense is commonly used after expressions like “je regrette que” (I regret that), “il est dommage que” (it is a shame that), and “j’aurais aimé que” (I would have liked that).

Examples:

  1. Je regrettais que tu ne t’en sois pas fier. (I regretted that you were not proud of it.)
  2. Il est dommage que nous n’ayons pas pu lui faire confiance. (It is a shame that we could not trust him.)
  3. J’aurais aimé que tu te sois fier de tes accomplissements. (I would have liked for you to be proud of your accomplishments.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je me fusse fié J’aurais aimé que je me fusse fié. I wish I had trusted myself.
tu te fusses fié J’aurais aimé que tu te fusses fié. I wish you had trusted yourself.
il se fût fié J’aurais aimé qu’il se fût fié. I wish he had trusted himself.
elle se fût fiée J’aurais aimé qu’elle se fût fiée. I wish she had trusted herself.
on se fût fié J’aurais aimé qu’on se fût fié. I wish one had trusted oneself.
nous nous fussions fiés J’aurais aimé que nous nous fussions fiés. I wish we had trusted ourselves.
vous vous fussiez fiés J’aurais aimé que vous vous fussiez fiés. I wish you had trusted yourselves.
ils se fussent fiés J’aurais aimé qu’ils se fussent fiés. I wish they had trusted themselves.
elles se fussent fiées J’aurais aimé qu’elles se fussent fiées. I wish they had trusted themselves.

Other Conjugations for Fier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Fier – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb fier. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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