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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détremper

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The English translation of the French verb détremper is “to soak”. It is pronounced “day-tram-pay”.

The word détremper is derived from the Old French term “tremper”, meaning “to dip or soak”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais détrempé le pain dans l’eau avant de le mettre dans le four. (I had soaked the bread in water before putting it in the oven.)

  2. Ils avaient détremper leurs vêtements dans la rivière pour les nettoyer. (They had soaked their clothes in the river to clean them.)

  3. Elle avait détremper ses pieds dans l’eau froide après une longue journée de travail. (She had soaked her feet in cold water after a long day of work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais détrempe J’avais détrempe la pâte. I had soaked the dough.
tu tu avais détrempe Tu avais détrempe le papier. You had soaked the paper.
il il avait détrempe Il avait détrempe le linge. He had soaked the laundry.
elle elle avait détrempe Elle avait détrempe la terre. She had soaked the soil.
on on avait détrempe On avait détrempe la farine. One had soaked the flour.
nous nous avions détrempe Nous avions détrempe la cire. We had soaked the wax.
vous vous aviez détrempe Vous aviez détrempe le carton. You had soaked the cardboard.
ils ils avaient détrempe Ils avaient détrempe le papier-peint. They had soaked the wallpaper.
elles elles avaient détrempe Elles avaient détrempe la pâte. They had soaked the dough.

Other Conjugations for Détremper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détremper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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