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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb identifier

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The English translation of the French verb identifier is “to identify.” It is pronounced as “ee-dehn-tee-fee-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word identifier comes from the Latin word “identificare,” which means “to make similar.” It entered the French language in the late 18th century and has been used to refer to the act of recognizing or establishing the identity of someone or something.

In everyday French, the verb identifier is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express hypothetical or uncertain actions that took place before another past action. It is commonly used in formal or literary language.

Examples of its usage in this tense include:

  1. J’espérais que tu eusses identifié le voleur avant qu’il ne s’échappe. (I was hoping that you had identified the thief before he escaped.)

  2. Nous aurions dû identifier les risques avant de prendre notre décision. (We should have identified the risks before making our decision.)

  3. Il est possible que la police ait identifié le suspect grâce à des empreintes digitales. (It is possible that the police identified the suspect thanks to fingerprints.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Identifier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb identifier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Identifier – 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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