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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déterrer

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The English translation of the French verb déterrer is “to unearth” or “to dig up.” It is pronounced as “day-tair-AY.”

Déterrer comes from the French word “terre” meaning “earth” or “ground.” It is most often used in everyday French in the past tense, specifically the Plus-que-parfait tense. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

Example 1: J’avais déterré mes vieux jouets du grenier. (I had unearthed my old toys from the attic.)

Example 2: Tu avais déterré le trésor avant que la tempête n’arrive. (You had dug up the treasure before the storm arrived.)

Example 3: Ils avaient déterré les restes d’un dinosaure dans le désert. (They had unearthed the remains of a dinosaur in the desert.)

In each of these examples, the action of digging up or unearthing (déterrer) was completed before another past action (bringing out old toys, the storm arriving, and finding dinosaur remains).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais déterré J’avais déterré le trésor. I had dug up the treasure.
tu tu avais déterré Tu avais déterré la boîte. You had dug up the box.
il il avait déterré Il avait déterré la graine. He had dug up the seed.
elle elle avait déterré Elle avait déterré la bouteille. She had dug up the bottle.
on on avait déterré On avait déterré la carte. One had dug up the map.
nous nous avions déterré Nous avions déterré la lettre. We had dug up the letter.
vous vous aviez déterré Vous aviez déterré le coffre. You had dug up the chest.
ils ils avaient déterré Ils avaient déterré le diamant. They had dug up the diamond.
elles elles avaient déterré Elles avaient déterré la clé. They had dug up the key.

Other Conjugations for Déterrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déterrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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