N'eussent (en. Had not)

[nø.sɑ̃]

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Indicates an action that could have taken place in the past if certain conditions had been met.

If they had worked harder, they would not have failed.

S'ils avaient travaillé plus dur, ils n'eussent pas échoué.

Used to express a past hypothesis.

If those circumstances had been different, they would not have made that decision.

Si ces circonstances avaient été différentes, ils n'eussent pas pris cette décision.

Implies a regret or an unmet condition in the past.

I regret that they did not understand the situation.

Je regrette qu'ils n'eussent pas compris la situation.

Formed from the negation 'ne' and the form of the verb 'to have' in the past subjunctive.

if I had known

expresses a regret related to missing information in the past.

si j'eusse su

they could not have

indicates a past impossibility.

ils n'eussent pu

had

form of the verb 'to have' in the past subjunctive, third person plural.

eussent

not to have

expression of lack or negation related to the verb 'to have'.

n'avoir

Expression used in an offbeat context to denote a fictional regret.

He said he would never have believed he would win.

Il a dit qu'il n'eussent jamais cru qu'il gagnerait.