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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désennuyer

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The English translation of the French verb désennuyer is “to relieve from boredom” or “to entertain”. It is pronounced as “day-zuhn-nwee-yay”.

The language origin of désennuyer comes from the prefix “dé-“, meaning “un-” or “de-“, and the word “ennuyer”, meaning “to annoy” or “to bore”. When used in everyday French, it is typically used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais désennuyé les invités avant leur arrivée. (I had entertained the guests before their arrival.)
  2. Tu avais désennuyé tes enfants avant qu’ils se plaignent. (You had relieved your children from boredom before they complained.)
  3. Elle avait désennuyé son mari en lui faisant la cuisine. (She had entertained her husband by cooking for him.)

In each of these examples, the action of relieving boredom occurred before another past action (the guests’ arrival, the children’s complaints, and the husband being hungry).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’étais désennuyé(e) Je m’étais désennuyé(e) en lisant un livre. I had gotten rid of boredom by reading a book.
tu t’étais désennuyé(e) Tu t’étais désennuyé(e) en écoutant de la musique. You had gotten rid of boredom by listening to music.
il s’était désennuyé Il s’était désennuyé au parc. He had gotten rid of boredom at the park.
elle s’était désennuyée Elle s’était désennuyée en faisant du shopping. She had gotten rid of boredom by shopping.
on s’était désennuyé On s’était désennuyé à la plage. One had gotten rid of boredom at the beach.
nous nous étions désennuyés Nous étions désennuyés en regardant un film. We had gotten rid of boredom by watching a movie.
vous vous étiez désennuyés Vous étiez désennuyés en faisant du sport. You had gotten rid of boredom by exercising.
ils s’étaient désennuyés Ils s’étaient désennuyés en jouant à des jeux vidéos. They had gotten rid of boredom by playing video games.
elles s’étaient désennuyées Elles s’étaient désennuyées en allant au musée. They had gotten rid of boredom by going to the museum.

Other Conjugations for Désennuyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désennuyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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