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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délester

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The English translation of the French verb délester is “to relieve” or “to lighten the load.” The infinitive form, délester, is pronounced as “day-leh-stay.”

Délester comes from the Latin word “delevare,” meaning “to lessen” or “to remove.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, délester is used to describe an action that had already been completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais délesté mon sac avant de partir. (I had lightened my bag before leaving.)
  2. Tu avais délesté la voiture de tout le matériel de camping. (You had relieved the car of all the camping equipment.)
  3. Il avait délesté son entreprise de toutes ses dettes. (He had relieved his company of all its debts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais délesté J’avais délesté mes bagages. I had unloaded my luggage.
tu tu avais délesté Tu avais délesté les marchandises. You had unloaded the goods.
il il avait délesté Il avait délesté sa voiture. He had unloaded his car.
elle elle avait délesté Elle avait délesté son sac. She had unloaded her bag.
on on avait délesté On avait délesté le camion. One had unloaded the truck.
nous nous avions délesté Nous avions délesté le bateau. We had unloaded the boat.
vous vous aviez délesté Vous aviez délesté les valises. You had unloaded the suitcases.
ils ils avaient délesté Ils avaient délesté les marchandises. They had unloaded the goods.
elles elles avaient délesté Elles avaient délesté les bagages. They had unloaded the luggage.

Other Conjugations for Délester.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délester
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Délester – 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 délester. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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