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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désembuer

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The English translation of the French verb désembuer is “to demist” or “to defog”. It is pronounced as “day-zahn-bwee”.

The word désembuer is derived from the French word “brouillard” which means fog or mist. The prefix “dés” indicates a negation or reversal, so désembuer literally means to remove or clear the fog.

In everyday French, désembuer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais désembué mes lunettes avant de sortir. (I had defogged my glasses before going out.)
  2. Nous avions désembué les vitres de la voiture pour mieux voir la route. (We had demisted the car windows to see the road better.)
  3. Elle m’avait demandé de désembuer le miroir pour qu’elle puisse se maquiller. (She had asked me to defog the mirror so she could put on her makeup.)

In all of these examples, désembuer is used to describe a action that was completed in the past (désembué) before another past action (sortir, voir, se maquiller).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désembué J’avais désembué le pare-brise. I had defogged the windshield.
tu tu avais désembué Tu avais désembué la vitre. You had defogged the window.
il il avait désembué Il avait désembué le miroir. He had defogged the mirror.
elle elle avait désembué Elle avait désembué les lunettes. She had defogged the glasses.
on on avait désembué On avait désembué les fenêtres. One had defogged the windows.
nous nous avions désembué Nous avions désembué le rétroviseur. We had defogged the rearview mirror.
vous vous aviez désembué Vous aviez désembué les vitres. You had defogged the windows.
ils ils avaient désembué Ils avaient désembué le pare-soleil. They had defogged the sun visor.
elles elles avaient désembué Elles avaient désembué le pare-brise. They had defogged the windshield.

Other Conjugations for Désembuer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désembuer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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