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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démystifier

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The English translation of the French verb démystifier is “to demystify.” It is pronounced as “day-mee-stee-fee-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word démystifier is derived from two root words: “dé,” which is a prefix meaning “to remove or undo,” and “mystifier,” which means “to mystify or confuse.” This verb is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of clarifying or explaining something that was previously misunderstood or shrouded in mystery.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, démystifier is conjugated as “avait démystifié” for the “il/elle” form and “avaient démystifié” for the “ils/elles” form. This translates to “had demystified” in English. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. Il avait démystifié les superstitions de ses amis.
    (He had demystified his friends’ superstitions.)

  2. Nous avions démystifié les origines du mythe.
    (We had demystified the origins of the myth.)

  3. Elles avaient démystifié les croyances populaires sur les extraterrestres.
    (They had demystified popular beliefs about aliens.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais démystifié J’avais démystifié la situation. I had demystified the situation.
tu tu avais démystifié Tu avais démystifié le concept. You had demystified the concept.
il il avait démystifié Il avait démystifié le mythe. He had demystified the myth.
elle elle avait démystifié Elle avait démystifié la superstition. She had demystified the superstition.
on on avait démystifié On avait démystifié l’histoire. One had demystified the history.
nous nous avions démystifié Nous avions démystifié la religion. We had demystified the religion.
vous vous aviez démystifié Vous aviez démystifié la tradition. You had demystified the tradition.
ils ils avaient démystifié Ils avaient démystifié le phénomène. They had demystified the phenomenon.
elles elles avaient démystifié Elles avaient démystifié le processus. They had demystified the process.

Other Conjugations for Démystifier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démystifier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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