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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb impatienter

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The English translation of the French verb impatienter is “to annoy” or “to irritate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “im-pa-syan-tey.”

The word “impatienter” derives from the Old French verb “empacientier,” which comes from the Latin verb “impatientari,” meaning “to be unable to bear patiently.” It is most commonly used in everyday French to express frustration or irritation towards someone or something.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, “impatienter” is conjugated as follows:

  • J’eusse impatienté (I would have annoyed)
  • Tu eusses impatienté (You would have annoyed)
  • Il/Elle eût impatienté (He/She would have annoyed)
  • Nous eussions impatienté (We would have annoyed)
  • Vous eussiez impatienté (You would have annoyed)
  • Ils/Elles eussent impatienté (They would have annoyed)

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

1) J’eusse été impatienté si tu avais encore posé la même question. (I would have been annoyed if you had asked the same question again.)

2) Tu eusses impatienté tes parents si tu avais continué à faire des bêtises. (You would have annoyed your parents if you had kept misbehaving.)

3) Il eût impatienté ses collègues s’il avait été en retard à la réunion. (He would have annoyed his colleagues if he had been late to the meeting.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Impatienter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb impatienter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impatienter – 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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