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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenchanter

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The English translation of the French verb désenchanter is “to disillusion.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-zahn-shahn-tay.”

The language origin of désenchanter comes from the prefix “dés-” which means “to undo” or “to remove,” and the word “enchantement” which means “enchantment” or “magic.” Therefore, the literal meaning of désenchanter is “to unenchant” or “to remove the magic.”

In everyday French, désenchanter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and the past participle “désenchanté.”

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

  1. J’avais désenchanté mes illusions avant de rencontrer la vérité. (I had disenchanted my illusions before meeting the truth.)

  2. Tu avais désenchanté ton amour pour lui avant qu’il ne te trahisse. (You had disillusioned your love for him before he betrayed you.)

  3. Ils avaient désenchanté leur espoir de réussite avant même de commencer. (They had disillusioned their hope of success before even starting.)

English translations:

  1. I had disenchanted my illusions before meeting the truth.
  2. You had disillusioned your love for him before he betrayed you.
  3. They had disillusioned their hope of success before even starting.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désenchanté J’avais désenchanté la princesse. I had disenchanted the princess.
tu tu avais désenchanté Tu avais désenchanté le château. You had disenchanted the castle.
il il avait désenchanté Il avait désenchanté le royaume. He had disenchanted the kingdom.
elle elle avait désenchanté Elle avait désenchanté le sort. She had broken the spell.
on on avait désenchanté On avait désenchanté la forêt. One had disenchanted the forest.
nous nous avions désenchanté Nous avions désenchanté le dragon. We had disenchanted the dragon.
vous vous aviez désenchanté Vous aviez désenchanté la bête. You had disenchanted the beast.
ils ils avaient désenchanté Ils avaient désenchanté le sorcier. They had disenchanted the sorcerer.
elles elles avaient désenchanté Elles avaient désenchanté la malédiction. They had disenchanted the curse.

Other Conjugations for Désenchanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désenchanter – 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.

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