Eusse (en. Had)

/øz/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Equivalent to 'I had' in subjunctive constructions.

I needed to have finished before tonight.

Il fallait que j'eusse terminé avant ce soir.

Used in formal or literary contexts.

If I had known this earlier, I would have acted differently.

Si j'eusse su cela plus tôt, j'aurais agi différemment.

Indicates an unfulfilled condition.

Had he wanted to come, he would be here now.

Eût-il voulu venir, il serait ici maintenant.

Comes from the verb 'to have', used in complex subjunctive tenses.

if I had known

expressing a regret for not having known something in the past.

si j'eusse su

had been

past conditional in the subjunctive, used in literature.

eusse été

even if I had

to introduce a condition in a hypothetical statement.

quand bien même j'eusse

to have

verb that means to possess or hold something.

avoir

had

simple past of the verb to have in the third person singular.

eut

had

past participle of the verb to have.

Used ironically to signify impossibility.

I would need to have wings to fly.

Il faudrait que j'eusse des ailes pour voler.

Reference to philosophical debates about the conditional.

In the debate, he said that if I had had the choice, it would have been different.

Dans le débat, il a dit que, si j'eusse eu le choix, ça aurait été différent.