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Eût fait and fût parti: read the pluperfect subjunctive

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Read a short literary scene with eût terminé and fussent partis. Compare modern paraphrases, passive forms and the accent in eut versus eût.

In short

The pluperfect subjunctive uses an imperfect-subjunctive auxiliary plus a past participle: qu’il eût fait, qu’elle fût partie. In literary clauses such as bien qu’elle eût terminé, it presents completion before another past point.

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A woman remains alone in a meeting room with her report.
Anne’s solitary review illustrates bien qu’elle eût terminé. Illustration: Atelier

A short literary reading

Après la réunion

Bien qu’Anne eût terminé1 son compte rendu, elle demeura dans la salle. Elle regrettait que ses collègues fussent partis2 avant la fin de la discussion.

Le président souhaitait que le compte rendu fût lu3 à voix haute le lendemain. Anne relut la dernière phrase. On eût dit4 que chaque mot pesait davantage dans le silence.

Read it in English

Although Anne had finished her report, she remained in the room. She regretted that her colleagues had left before the end of the discussion.

The chairman wanted the report to be read aloud the following day. Anne reread the last sentence. You would have thought that every word weighed more heavily in the silence.

How do you recognise the pluperfect subjunctive?

Literary form and contemporary paraphrase
ReadingContemporary FrenchWhat it does
bien qu’Anne eût terminébien qu’Anne ait terminéFinishing precedes her staying in the room.
qu’ils fussent partisqu’ils soient partisLeaving precedes her regret.
que le compte rendu fût luque le compte rendu soit luThe report receives the reading.
on eût diton aurait ditAn impression expressed with a literary conditional.

In eût terminé, eût is the auxiliary and terminé is the main participle. With être, the participle follows its agreement rule: qu’elle fût partie, qu’elles fussent parties. With avoir, a feminine subject alone adds no ending: qu’Anne eût terminé son compte rendu.

Read the underlying verb

Il souhaitait que le message fût lu.

He wanted the message to be read.

Lire uses avoir in the active compound form: eût lu. Here fût lu is a passive imperfect subjunctive.

Il regrettait que le message eût été lu.

He regretted that the message had been read.

The passive pluperfect subjunctive has the extra auxiliary layer: eût été lu.

A small accent changes the auxiliary

Third-person singular: eut and eût
FrenchFormEnglish
Quand elle eut terminé, elle sortit.Passé antérieur, indicativeWhen she had finished, she went out.
Bien qu’elle eût terminé, elle resta.Pluperfect subjunctiveAlthough she had finished, she stayed.
Question 1No account needed
What happened before Anne remained in the room?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

She finished her report.. The first clause says eût terminé: her report was finished before she stayed on.

Question 2No account needed
Which verb group in the reading expresses a desired passive action?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

fût lu. The report receives the action of reading. Fût lu is the imperfect-subjunctive passive here.

Question 3No account needed
Which is a modern paraphrase of On eût dit?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

On aurait dit. In this independent expression of an impression, eût dit has a literary past conditional use.

Question 4No account needed
Which auxiliary belongs to the passé antérieur?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

eut. Without the circumflex, eut is passé simple of avoir and builds the passé antérieur.

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