Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débaptiser

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The English translation of the French verb débaptiser is “to unbaptize” or “to de-baptize.” It is pronounced “day-bap-tee-zay.”

Débaptiser comes from the root word “baptiser,” which comes from the Greek word “baptizein” meaning “to immerse, to wash.” In everyday French, débaptiser is used to describe the act of renouncing one’s baptism or removing someone from the church’s baptismal registry. It can also be used more broadly to refer to the act of undoing or reversing a baptismal ceremony.

  1. Mon grand-père s’est débaptisé lorsqu’il a renié sa foi catholique. (My grandfather unbaptized himself when he renounced his Catholic faith.)
  2. Les parents de ma voisine ont débaptisé leur fils après qu’il ait avoué être athée. (My neighbor’s parents unbaptized their son after he admitted to being an atheist.)
  3. L’église a refusé de débaptiser l’enfant même après que ses parents aient quitté la religion. (The church refused to un-baptize the child even after the parents left the religion.)

The Plus-que-parfait tense, also known as the pluperfect tense, is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past. In this tense, débaptiser would be conjugated as “avait débaptisé.” Here are three examples of débaptiser in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Avant de rejoindre une secte, elle avait débaptisé ses enfants. (Before joining a cult, she had unbaptized her children.)
  2. Ils avaient débaptisé leur fille après avoir changé de religion. (They had unbaptized their daughter after changing religions.)
  3. La famille avait débaptisé leur fils quand il a été accusé de crimes graves. (The family had unbaptized their son when he was accused of serious crimes.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of débaptiser

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais débaptisé J’avais débaptisé mon fils. I had un-baptized my son.
tu tu avais débaptisé Tu avais débaptisé ta fille. You had un-baptized your daughter.
il il avait débaptisé Il avait débaptisé le bébé. He had un-baptized the baby.
elle elle avait débaptisé Elle avait débaptisé le nouveau-né. She had un-baptized the newborn.
on on avait débaptisé On avait débaptisé le baptême. One had un-baptized the baptism.
nous nous avions débaptisé Nous avions débaptisé nos enfants. We had un-baptized our children.
vous vous aviez débaptisé Vous aviez débaptisé vos petits-enfants. You had un-baptized your grandchildren.
ils ils avaient débaptisé Ils avaient débaptisé les bébés. They had un-baptized the babies.
elles elles avaient débaptisé Elles avaient débaptisé les nouveau-nés. They had un-baptized the newborns.

Other Conjugations for Débaptiser.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débaptiser

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Débaptiser – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

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