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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb héler

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The English translation of the French verb héler is “to hail” or “to call out to.” It is pronounced “ay-lay.”

Héler comes from the Latin word “hilaris” which means “cheerful” or “merry.” In modern French, it is most often used in its infinitive form as a synonym for “to call” or “to shout.”

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, héler is used to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain. It is often used in conjunction with the word “si” (if). Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Si j’avais hélé le taxi, je serais arrivé à l’heure. (If I had hailed the taxi, I would have arrived on time.)
  2. Elle aurait été en retard si personne ne l’avait hélée. (She would have been late if no one had called out to her.)
  3. Si tu avais hélé le vendeur, il t’aurait montré le bon chemin. (If you had hailed the salesman, he would have shown you the right way.)

In all three examples, the action of héler is in the past and is followed by a conditional verb to indicate a hypothetical situation. These examples also show the various translations of héler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense: “hail,” “call out to,” or “call.”

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

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

Other Conjugations for Héler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb héler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb héler
    (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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Héler – 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 héler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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