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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démasquer

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The English translation of démasquer is “to unmask” or “to expose.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-mah-skay.”

Démasquer comes from the French words “dé” meaning “un” and “masque” meaning “mask.” It is often used in everyday French to describe the act of revealing someone’s true identity or intentions.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, démasquer is used to talk about events that happened before another past event. For example:

  1. J’avais démasqué le menteur avant qu’il ne puisse tromper quelqu’un d’autre.
    (I had unmasked the liar before he could deceive someone else.)

  2. Nous avions démasqué le coupable grâce aux caméras de surveillance.
    (We had exposed the culprit thanks to the surveillance cameras.)

  3. Vous aviez démasqué notre plan depuis le début, n’est-ce pas ?
    (You had uncovered our plan from the beginning, didn’t you?)

In these examples, démasquer is used as the past participle and is paired with the auxiliary verb “avoir.” It is used to describe an action that had already happened in the past before another event.

Overall, démasquer is a common verb used in French to describe the act of revealing or exposing something or someone. It can also be used in everyday conversation to describe the act of unmasking a person or situation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais démasqué J’avais démasqué le menteur. I had unmasked the liar.
tu tu avais démasqué Tu avais démasqué le coupable. You had unmasked the culprit.
il il avait démasqué Il avait démasqué le voleur. He had unmasked the thief.
elle elle avait démasqué Elle avait démasqué le traitre. She had unmasked the traitor.
on on avait démasqué On avait démasqué la fraude. One had unmasked the fraud.
nous nous avions démasqué Nous avions démasqué le secret. We had unmasked the secret.
vous vous aviez démasqué Vous aviez démasqué la supercherie. You had unmasked the deceit.
ils ils avaient démasqué Ils avaient démasqué le coup monté. They had unmasked the setup.
elles elles avaient démasqué Elles avaient démasqué le complot. They had unmasked the plot.

Other Conjugations for Démasquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démasquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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