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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenchaîner

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The English translation of the French verb désenchaîner is “to unchain” or “to unlock.” The infinitive form is pronounced day-zahn-shay-nay.

The word désenchaîner comes from the prefix “dés-” meaning “undo” or “remove” and the noun “chaîne” which means “chain.” It is most often used in everyday French in the plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates an action that was completed before another past action.

Example 1: J’avais désenchaîné le vélo avant de partir. (I had unchained the bike before leaving.)

Example 2: Elle avait désenchaîné le chien avant d’aller au parc. (She had unlocked the dog before going to the park.)

Example 3: Nous avions désenchaîné nos vélos et commencé à pédaler. (We had unchained our bikes and started pedaling.)

In these examples, the verb désenchaîner is used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another action took place. It can also be used to indicate that something was undone or removed in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désenchaîné J’avais désenchaîné le chien. I had unchained the dog.
tu tu avais désenchaîné Tu avais désenchaîné le lion. You had unchained the lion.
il il avait désenchaîné Il avait désenchaîné le prisonnier. He had unchained the prisoner.
elle elle avait désenchaîné Elle avait désenchaîné l’oiseau. She had unchained the bird.
on on avait désenchaîné On avait désenchaîné le dragon. One had unchained the dragon.
nous nous avions désenchaîné Nous avions désenchaîné le serpent. We had unchained the snake.
vous vous aviez désenchaîné Vous aviez désenchaîné le tigre. You had unchained the tiger.
ils ils avaient désenchaîné Ils avaient désenchaîné le prisonnier. They had unchained the prisoner.
elles elles avaient désenchaîné Elles avaient désenchaîné le chien. They had unchained the dog.

Other Conjugations for Désenchaîner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchaîner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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