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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb flairer

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The English translation of the French verb flairer is “to sniff” or “to smell”. The infinitive form of flairer is pronounced as “flay-ray”.

The word flairer comes from the Old French word “flair” meaning “sense of smell” or “instinct”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past subjunctive tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another past action.

Three simple examples of flairer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais flairé qu’il avait menti si je l’avais interrogé plus en détail. (I would have sniffed out that he was lying if I had questioned him more thoroughly.)

  2. Elle aurait flairé qu’il était nerveux s’il n’avait pas si bien dissimulé son stress. (She would have smelled that he was nervous if he hadn’t concealed his stress so well.)

  3. Nous aurions flairé que quelque chose n’allait pas si nous avions remarqué ses regards furtifs. (We would have sensed that something was wrong if we had noticed his furtive glances.)

English translations:

  1. I would have sniffed out that he was lying if I had questioned him more thoroughly.

  2. She would have smelled that he was nervous if he hadn’t concealed his stress so well.

  3. We would have sensed that something was wrong if we had noticed his furtive glances.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse flairé Il était question que je eusse flairé le danger. It was a matter of me having sensed the danger.
tu eusses flairé J’avais espéré que tu eusses flairé le mensonge. I had hoped you would have sniffed out the lie.
il eût flairé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût flairé l’arnaque. I wish he had smelled the scam.
elle eût flairé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût flairé la trahison. I wish she had sensed the betrayal.
on eût flairé Il était possible qu’on eût flairé le complot. It was possible that one had sniffed out the plot.
nous eussions flairé Si nous avions eu plus de temps, nous eussions flairé la supercherie. If we had had more time, we would have sensed the deceit.
vous eussiez flairé J’avais peur que vous eussiez flairé la peur dans mes yeux. I was afraid you would have sensed the fear in my eyes.
ils eussent flairé Il était évident qu’ils eussent flairé le piège. It was obvious that they had sniffed out the trap.
elles eussent flairé J’aurais préféré qu’elles eussent flairé l’embrouille. I would have preferred if they had sensed the confusion.

Other Conjugations for Flairer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb flairer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Flairer – 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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