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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dessoûler

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The English translation of the French verb dessoûler is “to sober up” or “to become sober”. It is pronounced “deh-soo-lay” in its infinitive form.

The word dessoûler is derived from the prefix “des-” which means “undoing” or “opposite” and the word “soûler” which means “to get drunk”. It is most commonly used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Examples of dessoûler in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais dessoûlé avant de rentrer à la maison. (I had sobered up before coming home.)

  2. Tu avais dessoûlé après la soirée d’hier. (You had sobered up after last night’s party.)

  3. Il avait dessoûlé grâce à l’eau et au café. (He had sobered up thanks to water and coffee.)

In all of these examples, the action of becoming sober had been completed before another past action took place.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais désoûlé J’avais désoûlé après une longue nuit. I had sobered up after a long night.
tu tu avais désoûlé Tu avais désoûlé tes amis avec de l’eau. You had sobered up your friends with water.
il il avait désoûlé Il avait désoûlé sa mère avec du café. He had sobered up his mother with coffee.
elle elle avait désoûlé Elle avait désoûlé son père avec un soda. She had sobered up her father with a soda.
on on avait désoûlé On avait désoûlé le groupe avec du jus de fruits. One had sobered up the group with fruit juice.
nous nous avions désoûlé Nous avions désoûlé nos invités avec du thé. We had sobered up our guests with tea.
vous vous aviez désoûlé Vous aviez désoûlé votre ami avec un smoothie. You had sobered up your friend with a smoothie.
ils ils avaient désoûlé Ils avaient désoûlé leurs voisins avec du champagne. They had sobered up their neighbors with champagne.
elles elles avaient désoûlé Elles avaient désoûlé leurs collègues avec de la limonade. They had sobered up their colleagues with lemonade.

Other Conjugations for Dessoûler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dessoûler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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