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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépatouiller

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of dépatouiller. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb dépatouiller is “to untangle” or “to disentangle”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-pah-too-yay”.

Dépatouiller comes from the root word “patouiller”, which means “to make a mess” or “to get tangled up”. The prefix “dé-” adds a sense of undoing or reversing the action. It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of untangling or solving a complex situation.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, dépatouiller is used to talk about an action that was completed in the past before another past action. For example, “J’avais dépatouillé le problème avant qu’il ne se complique” translates to “I had untangled the problem before it got complicated”.

Here are three simple examples of dépatouiller in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais dépatouillé les fils électriques avant que l’électricien n’arrive. (I had untangled the electrical wires before the electrician arrived.)

  2. Elle avait dépatouillé les nœuds de sa robe avant la soirée. (She had untangled the knots in her dress before the party.)

  3. Nous avions dépatouillé les malentendus avec nos voisins avant la réunion de quartier. (We had solved the misunderstandings with our neighbors before the neighborhood meeting.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dépatouillé J’avais dépatouillé la situation. I had sorted out the situation.
tu tu avais dépatouillé Tu avais dépatouillé le problème. You had untangled the problem.
il il avait dépatouillé Il avait dépatouillé la confusion. He had unraveled the confusion.
elle elle avait dépatouillé Elle avait dépatouillé le désordre. She had untied the mess.
on on avait dépatouillé On avait dépatouillé la complication. One had resolved the complication.
nous nous avions dépatouillé Nous avions dépatouillé le conflit. We had resolved the conflict.
vous vous aviez dépatouillé Vous aviez dépatouillé la situation. You had sorted out the situation.
ils ils avaient dépatouillé Ils avaient dépatouillé le problème. They had untangled the problem.
elles elles avaient dépatouillé Elles avaient dépatouillé le désordre. They had untied the mess.

Other Conjugations for Dépatouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépatouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the dépatouiller Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts