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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénicher

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The English translation of the French verb dénicher is “to unearth” or “to find.” It is pronounced as “day-nee-shay.”

Dénicher comes from the Old French word “denoicher” which means “to remove from a nest.” It is most often used as a colloquial expression in everyday French to mean to “discover” or “stumble upon” something unexpected or hidden.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, dénicher is used to talk about something that had been unearthed or found in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais déniché un vieux livre dans le grenier de mes grands-parents. (I had unearthed an old book in my grandparents’ attic.)

  2. Tu avais déniché un excellent restaurant lors de ton dernier voyage en France. (You had discovered an excellent restaurant during your last trip to France.)

  3. Ils avaient déniché un trésor dans le jardin de leur nouvelle maison. (They had stumbled upon a treasure in the garden of their new house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais déniché J’avais déniché une bonne affaire. I had found a good deal.
tu tu avais déniché Tu avais déniché un nouvel emploi. You had found a new job.
il il avait déniché Il avait déniché un trésor. He had discovered a treasure.
elle elle avait déniché Elle avait déniché un appartement. She had found an apartment.
on on avait déniché On avait déniché un restaurant. One had found a restaurant.
nous nous avions déniché Nous avions déniché une maison en vente. We had found a house for sale.
vous vous aviez déniché Vous aviez déniché un billet d’avion. You had found a plane ticket.
ils ils avaient déniché Ils avaient déniché un endroit paisible. They had found a peaceful place.
elles elles avaient déniché Elles avaient déniché un nouveau passe-temps. They had found a new hobby.

Other Conjugations for Dénicher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénicher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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