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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désintéresser

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The English translation of the French verb désintéresser is “to lose interest.” It is pronounced as “day-zehn-teh-ray-say.”

The French verb désintéresser is a combination of the prefix “dés-” which means “away from” and the verb “intéresser” which means “to interest.” This verb originated from the Latin verb “interesse” which has the same meaning. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to indicate an action that happened before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of désintéresser in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais désintéressé de la politique avant de rencontrer mon mari. (I had lost interest in politics before meeting my husband.)
  2. Nous avions désintéressé du film avant de connaître le réalisateur. (We had lost interest in the movie before knowing the director.)
  3. Ils avaient désintéressé de l’équipe avant de voir leur performance. (They had lost interest in the team before seeing their performance.)

The English translations provided for each sentence reflect the use of “had lost interest” which conveys the Plus-que-parfait tense in English.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’étais désintéressé(e) Je m’étais désintéressé(e) de la politique. I had become disinterested in politics.
tu t’étais désintéressé(e) Tu t’étais désintéressé(e) de l’argent. You had become disinterested in money.
il s’était désintéressé Il s’était désintéressé de sa carrière. He had become disinterested in his career.
elle s’était désintéressée Elle s’était désintéressée de ses amis. She had become disinterested in her friends.
on s’était désintéressé On s’était désintéressé de la situation. One had become disinterested in the situation.
nous nous étions désintéressés Nous nous étions désintéressés des résultats. We had become disinterested in the results.
vous vous étiez désintéressés Vous vous étiez désintéressés de la discussion. You had become disinterested in the discussion.
ils s’étaient désintéressés Ils s’étaient désintéressés du sujet. They had become disinterested in the subject.
elles s’étaient désintéressées Elles s’étaient désintéressées de l’affaire. They had become disinterested in the matter.

Other Conjugations for Désintéresser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désintéresser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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