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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hululer

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The English translation of hululer is “to howl” or “to hoot”. It is pronounced as “oo-loo-lay”.

The word hululer comes from the Old French word “hu” meaning “a shout or call”, and the Latin word “ululare” meaning “to howl”. In everyday French, hululer is most often used to describe the sound made by animals such as wolves or owls.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, hululer is used to express a past action or event that did not happen. It is typically used after the conjunction “que”.

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

  1. Il fallait que les loups hululent toute la nuit pour que la forêt soit effrayante. (It was necessary for the wolves to howl all night for the forest to be scary.)

  2. J’aurais préféré qu’il n’y ait pas d’oiseaux qui hululent pendant notre pique-nique. (I would have preferred if there were no birds hooting during our picnic.)

  3. Nous souhaitions qu’un hibou hulule pour que notre soirée en camping soit plus authentique. (We wished for an owl to hoot so that our camping evening would be more authentic.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Hululer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hululer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hululer – 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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