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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb marier

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The English translation of the French verb marier is “to marry.” It is pronounced “mah-ree-eh.”

The origin of the word marier can be traced back to the Latin word “maritare,” meaning “to unite in marriage.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of getting married or joining two people in marriage.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, the verb marier is used to express a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the Subjonctif Imparfait form, followed by the past participle “marié.”

Here are three examples of the usage of marier in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Il fallait que nous nous soyons mariés avant la naissance de notre enfant.
    Translation: We needed to have gotten married before the birth of our child.

  2. J’aurais aimé que mes parents se soient mariés à l’église.
    Translation: I wish my parents had gotten married in church.

  3. Il doutait que sa sœur se soit mariée avec un étranger.
    Translation: He doubted that his sister had married a foreigner.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Marier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb marier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Marier – 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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