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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb instiller

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The English translation of the French verb instiller is “to instill.” The infinitive form is pronounced “an-stee-yay.”

The word instiller comes from the Latin word “instillare,” which means “to pour in, to drop.” In everyday French, instiller is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses actions that occurred in the past before another past action. In this tense, instiller is often used to express something that someone had instilled in someone else before a specific event took place.

Examples:

  1. Je regrettais que ma mère m’ait instillé la peur des chiens avant de partir en vacances. (I regretted that my mother had instilled the fear of dogs in me before going on vacation.)
  2. Il était triste que son père lui ait instillé un complexe d’infériorité avant son examen. (He was sad that his father had instilled in him an inferiority complex before his exam.)
  3. Elle était contente que sa grand-mère lui ait instillé l’amour pour la lecture avant de mourir. (She was happy that her grandmother had instilled in her a love for reading before passing away.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Instiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb instiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Instiller – 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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