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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démuseler

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The English translation of the French verb démuseler is “to unmask” or “to take the muzzle off”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-mew-zuh-leh”.

Démuseler is derived from the combination of the prefix “de-” meaning “undo” and the noun “musel” which refers to a muzzle for an animal’s mouth. Therefore, démuseler literally means to undo the action of putting a muzzle on.

In everyday French, démuseler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used for actions that occurred 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 démuseler.

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

  1. J’avais démuselé le chien avant qu’il ne se mette à aboyer. (I had taken the muzzle off the dog before he started barking.)

  2. Tu étais démuselé depuis longtemps quand je t’ai rejoint. (You had been unmasked for a long time when I caught up to you.)

  3. Ils étaient démuselés par la vérité qu’ils avaient découverte. (They had been unmasked by the truth they had uncovered.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais démuselé J’avais démuselé le chien. I had taken off the muzzle from the dog.
tu tu avais démuselé Tu avais démuselé le cheval. You had taken off the muzzle from the horse.
il il avait démuselé Il avait démuselé le loup. He had taken off the muzzle from the wolf.
elle elle avait démuselé Elle avait démuselé le tigre. She had taken off the muzzle from the tiger.
on on avait démuselé On avait démuselé le lion. One had taken off the muzzle from the lion.
nous nous avions démuselé Nous avions démuselé l’ours. We had taken off the muzzle from the bear.
vous vous aviez démuselé Vous aviez démuselé le singe. You had taken off the muzzle from the monkey.
ils ils avaient démuselé Ils avaient démuselé le loup. They had taken off the muzzle from the wolf.
elles elles avaient démuselé Elles avaient démuselé la lionne. They had taken off the muzzle from the lioness.

Other Conjugations for Démuseler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démuseler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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