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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédoubler

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The English translation of the French verb dédoubler is “to split in two” or “to double”.

In French, dédoubler is pronounced “dey-doo-blay”.

The word dédoubler comes from the prefix “dé-“, which means “un” or “dis-“, and the verb “doubler”, which means “to double”. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of dividing or separating something into two parts.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, dédoubler is used to describe an action that had been completed in the past before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of dédoubler.

Three simple examples of dédoubler in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais dédoublé les fichiers avant de les envoyer par email. (I had split the files before sending them by email.)

  2. Tu étais dédoublé en deux groupes pour le projet. (You had been divided into two groups for the project.)

  3. Ils étaient dédoublés depuis leur mariage. (They had been separated since their marriage.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dédoublé J’avais dédoublé le document. I had duplicated the document.
tu tu avais dédoublé Tu avais dédoublé le fichier. You had duplicated the file.
il il avait dédoublé Il avait dédoublé la photo. He had duplicated the picture.
elle elle avait dédoublé Elle avait dédoublé la vidéo. She had duplicated the video.
on on avait dédoublé On avait dédoublé la liste. One had duplicated the list.
nous nous avions dédoublé Nous avions dédoublé la feuille. We had duplicated the sheet.
vous vous aviez dédoublé Vous aviez dédoublé le dossier. You had duplicated the folder.
ils ils avaient dédoublé Ils avaient dédoublé le message. They had duplicated the message.
elles elles avaient dédoublé Elles avaient dédoublé la page. They had duplicated the page.

Other Conjugations for Dédoubler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédoubler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dédoubler – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb dédoubler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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