184 French Grammar in Context
revenait pas de son étonnement qu’un tel bonheur existât et que jamais elle ne s’en fût doutée
(lines 10–12). The subjunctive is also triggered by a number of conjunctions, e.g. Quoique
Mme de Rênal n’eût jamais pensé... (line 7).b The pluperfect subjunctive, like the imperfect subjunctive, is becoming increasingly rare,
except in the third-person singular in literary contextssuch as we have here. All the
pluperfect subjunctives in the text are third-person singular.c In literary contexts the sequence of tenses outlined above (see The imperfect subjunctive in
the text,1c) is followed. Thus, for example, because the main clause verb revenait (line 10) is
imperfect (group 2), it is followed by an imperfect subjunctive existât and a pluperfect
subjunctive s’en fût doutée. This second verb is pluperfect rather than imperfect subjunctive,
because it refers to a prior state of affairs, i.e. ‘she could not get over her amazement that such
happiness existed and that she had neversuspected it before’.d In literary and somewhat archaic style, the pluperfect subjunctive may be used in either or
both halves of a conditional sentence in place of the pluperfect indicative and past conditional.
For example, Si elle se fût aperçue... cette triste découverte lui eût enlevé (lines 4–5), which in
more standard French would be Si elle s’était aperçue... cette triste découverte lui aurait enlevé.
This is a construction which you need to be able to recognize when reading literary texts, but
it is not one which you should normally try to imitate. For the normal pattern of tenses in
conditional sentences, see Chapter 7.2 FORMATION
The pluperfect subjunctive is formed from the imperfect subjunctive of avoir or être as
appropriate (see Chapter 2), plus the past participle.
e.g. se fût aperçue (line 4); eût enlevé (line 5); eût pu (line 5)Other points to note in the text- Imperfect subjunctive: existât (line 11)
- Past historic: eut (line 2) as opposed to subjunctive eût (lines 5, 7)
Discover more about the pluperfect subjunctive
USE OF TENSES
In less formal French the strict sequence of tenses outlined in The imperfect subjunctive in the
text,1cis not followed. The perfect subjunctive is used in the subordinate clause instead of the
pluperfect subjunctive, e.g. Je craignais qu’ils ne soient (instead of fussent) déjà partis (I was afraid
that they might already have left).