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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb lister

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The English translation of the French verb lister is “to list” or “to make a list.” The infinitive form of the verb is pronounced as “leest-ay” with the stress on the second syllable.

Lister comes from the Old French word “liste,” meaning “border” or “edge.” It is most often used in everyday French as a transitive verb, meaning it needs to be followed by a direct object.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, lister is used to express an action that was completed before another past action or event. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of lister, “listé.”

Example 1: J’avais listé tous les ingrédients avant que tu n’arrives. (I had listed all the ingredients before you arrived.)
Example 2: Elle était contente que j’aie listé ses demandes. (She was happy that I had listed her requests.)
Example 3: Nous aurions aimé que vous ayez listé vos préférences plus tôt. (We would have liked it if you had listed your preferences earlier.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Lister.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb lister
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Lister – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb lister. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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