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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenvelopper

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The English translation of the French verb désenvelopper is “to unwrap” or “to unroll.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-zahn-vloh-pay.”

The word désenvelopper comes from the prefix dés-, which means “un” or “de” and the verb envelopper, meaning “to envelop” or “to wrap.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that happened before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais désenveloppé tous les cadeaux avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had unwrapped all the gifts before the guests arrived.)
  2. Nous avions désenveloppé les couvertures pour nous couvrir pendant la nuit. (We had unrolled the blankets to cover ourselves during the night.)
  3. Tu avais désenveloppé le sandwich avant de le manger. (You had unwrapped the sandwich before eating it.)

In each of these examples, the action of désenvelopper (unwrapping or unrolling) happened before another action in the past (the arrival of the guests, covering ourselves during the night, and eating the sandwich).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désenveloppé J’avais désenveloppé le cadeau. I had unwrapped the gift.
tu tu avais désenveloppé Tu avais désenveloppé la lettre. You had unwrapped the letter.
il il avait désenveloppé Il avait désenveloppé le colis. He had unwrapped the package.
elle elle avait désenveloppé Elle avait désenveloppé le paquet. She had unwrapped the parcel.
on on avait désenveloppé On avait désenveloppé le paquet-cadeau. One had unwrapped the gift box.
nous nous avions désenveloppé Nous avions désenveloppé la boîte. We had unwrapped the box.
vous vous aviez désenveloppé Vous aviez désenveloppé le paquet-cadeau. You had unwrapped the gift box.
ils ils avaient désenveloppé Ils avaient désenveloppé le colis. They had unwrapped the package.
elles elles avaient désenveloppé Elles avaient désenveloppé la lettre. They had unwrapped the letter.

Other Conjugations for Désenvelopper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenvelopper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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