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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démouscailler

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The English translation of the French verb démouscailler is “to remove the scales”. The infinitive form, démouscailler, is pronounced “deh-moo-sky-yay”.

The word démouscailler comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, which can mean “undo” or “remove”, and the word “mouscailler”, which is derived from the word “mouche” (fly) and can mean “to remove flies” or “to remove small pests”. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of removing scales from a fish or any other type of animal or object.

Examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais démouscaillé le poisson avant de le faire cuire. (I had removed the scales from the fish before cooking it.)
  2. Tu avais démouscaillé tes doigts avant de toucher le serpent? (Had you removed the scales from your fingers before touching the snake?)
  3. Ils avaient déjà démouscaillé le toit de leur maison avant que la pluie ne commence. (They had already removed the scales from their roof before the rain started.)

In each of these examples, the action of removing scales had already been completed before the main event or action in the past. The Plus-que-parfait tense is often used to describe an action that happened before another past action, and in these cases, it emphasizes the completion of the action of removing scales.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais démouscaillé J’avais démouscaillé la tôle. I had removed the paint from the metal.
tu tu avais démouscaillé Tu avais démouscaillé le mur. You had removed the paint from the wall.
il il avait démouscaillé Il avait démouscaillé la porte. He had removed the paint from the door.
elle elle avait démouscaillé Elle avait démouscaillé la fenêtre. She had removed the paint from the window.
on on avait démouscaillé On avait démouscaillé le plafond. One had removed the paint from the ceiling.
nous nous avions démouscaillé Nous avions démouscaillé le plancher. We had removed the paint from the floor.
vous vous aviez démouscaillé Vous aviez démouscaillé le tableau. You had removed the paint from the painting.
ils ils avaient démouscaillé Ils avaient démouscaillé la statue. They had removed the paint from the statue.
elles elles avaient démouscaillé Elles avaient démouscaillé le banc. They had removed the paint from the bench.

Other Conjugations for Démouscailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démouscailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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