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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désoler

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The English translation of the French verb désoler is “to apologize” or “to feel sorry.” It is pronounced “day-zoh-lay” in its infinitive form.

Désoler comes from the Latin word “desolare” meaning “to leave alone” or “to abandon.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of désoler.

Examples:

  1. J’avais désolé mon ami avant qu’il ne parte en vacances. (I had apologized to my friend before he left for vacation.)

  2. Nous avions désolé les voisins avec notre fête bruyante. (We had apologized to the neighbors for our loud party.)

  3. Ils avaient désolé leurs parents en échouant à l’examen. (They had apologized to their parents for failing the exam.)

English translations:

  1. I had apologized to my friend before he left for vacation.

  2. We had apologized to the neighbors for our loud party.

  3. They had apologized to their parents for failing the exam.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désolé J’avais désolé mon ami. I had apologized to my friend.
tu tu avais désolé Tu avais désolé ta sœur. You had apologized to your sister.
il il avait désolé Il avait désolé son frère. He had apologized to his brother.
elle elle avait désolé Elle avait désolé sa mère. She had apologized to her mother.
on on avait désolé On avait désolé nos voisins. One had apologized to our neighbors.
nous nous avions désolé Nous avions désolé nos amis. We had apologized to our friends.
vous vous aviez désolé Vous aviez désolé vos collègues. You had apologized to your colleagues.
ils ils avaient désolé Ils avaient désolé leurs parents. They had apologized to their parents.
elles elles avaient désolé Elles avaient désolé leurs camarades. They had apologized to their classmates.

Other Conjugations for Désoler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désoler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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