| 8.2.4 Formation of the plus-que-parfait du subjonctif |
Also the form of plus-que-parfait du subjonctif is only used in written language. Might be the reason that we need the imparfait de subjonctif of the verb avoir (for transitive verbs) and imparfait du subjonctif of the verb être (for intransitive verbs), and the imparfait de subjonctif is only used in written language. However, if you know them, the tense is easy to be formed. In addition to the e imparfait de subjonctif of the auxiliary the well know perfect participle is added (with the respective suffixes for intransitive verbs as we already know from the other composed tenses).
| Transitive Verben | |||||
| introductory
verb |
conjunction |
personal pronoun |
auxiliary verb |
perfect participle |
completion |
| Je
craignais Tu craignais Il / Elle craignait ..... Je voulais Tu voulais Elle voulait Nous voulions |
que qu' |
j' tu il elle nous vous ils elles |
eusse eusses eût eût eussions eussiez eussent eussent |
vu acheté vendu commis parlé gagné |
la
maison la voiture trop une faute |
| Examples | |
 |
Il craignait que je l' eusse vu. |
| He was afraid that he had been seen. | |
|
Nous n' espérions pas que vous eussiez acheté la maison. |
| We did not hope that you had bought the house. | |
|
Il craignait qu' il eût commis une faute. |
| He was afraid that he had commited a mistake. | |
| intransitive Verben | ||||
| introductory verb |
conjunction |
personal pronoun |
auxiliary verb |
perfect participle |
| Je
regrettais Tu regrettais Il / Elle regrettait .... J' ai peur Tu as peur Il a peur Elle a peur |
que qu' |
je tu il elle nous vous ils elles |
fusse fusses fût fût fussions fussiez fussent fussent |
venu(e)(s) parti(e)(s) sorti(e)(s) |
| Examples | |
|
Je regrettais que tu fusses venu(e). |
| Ich bedauerte, dass du gekommen bist. | |
|
Nous regrettions qu' ils fussent partis. |
| Wir bedauerten, dass sie (Männer) gegangen sind. | |
|
Nous regrettions qu' elles fussent parties. |
| Wir bedauern, dass sie (Frauen) gegangen sind. | |
|
Ils avaient peur qu' elle fût sortie. |
| Sie befürchteten, dass sie hinaus gegangen war. | |
You probably have noticed that the introductory verb is in a past tense (imparfait, passé simple, plus-que-parfait*) before the plus-que-parfait du subjonctif is used. This lies in the nature of the past perfect, that it is an action that happens before the time of narration.
* Actually here we should have also mentioned the passé composé as a past tense. Officially it does not count to be one, practically it is used as one. Here we can see the difference between theory and practical experience.
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