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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb indiquer

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The English translation of the French verb indiquer is “to indicate” or “to show.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “een-dee-kay.”

The word indiquer comes from the Latin word “indicāre,” meaning “to point out.” In everyday French, it is most often used in its past subjunctive tense, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that happened before another past action.

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

  1. Il était évident qu’elle l’avait vu, car elle lui avait indiqué le chemin. (It was obvious that she had seen him, because she had shown him the way.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que tu m’indiques le problème plus tôt, cela aurait pu être réparé. (I wish you had indicated the problem to me earlier, it could have been fixed.)

  3. Les données qu’ils nous avaient indiquées n’étaient pas exactes, nous avons perdu du temps à cause de cela. (The data they had indicated to us was not accurate, we wasted time because of it.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Indiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb indiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Indiquer – 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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