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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévisager

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The English translation of the French verb dévisager is “to stare at” or “to gaze at.” It is pronounced as “day-veez-ah-jay” in its infinitive form.

Dévisager comes from the French word “visage,” which means face, and the prefix “dé-” which can indicate intensity or completion. Therefore, dévisager can be translated as “to closely examine someone’s face” or “to scrutinize someone’s face.”

In everyday French, dévisager is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” conjugated in the imparfait tense (j’avais, tu avais, il/elle avait, nous avions, vous aviez, ils/elles avaient) followed by the past participle of dévisager, which is “dévisagé.”

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

  1. J’avais dévisagé mon voisin de classe avant de me rendre compte qu’il était mon ami d’enfance. (I had stared at my classmate before realizing he was my childhood friend.)
  2. Tu avais dévisagé le tableau pendant des heures avant de comprendre sa signification. (You had gazed at the painting for hours before understanding its meaning.)
  3. Les spectateurs avaient dévisagé l’acteur lorsqu’il est apparu sur scène. (The audience had stared at the actor when he appeared on stage.)

In each of these examples, the action of dévisager had been completed before the speaker or subject realized or understood something. This tense is often used to add more emphasis or detail to a past event.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dévisagé J’avais dévisagé le suspect. I had stared at the suspect.
tu tu avais dévisagé Tu avais dévisagé la victime. You had stared at the victim.
il il avait dévisagé Il avait dévisagé le témoin. He had stared at the witness.
elle elle avait dévisagé Elle avait dévisagé le journaliste. She had stared at the journalist.
on on avait dévisagé On avait dévisagé le coupable. One had stared at the culprit.
nous nous avions dévisagé Nous avions dévisagé l’accusé. We had stared at the accused.
vous vous aviez dévisagé Vous aviez dévisagé le suspect. You had stared at the suspect.
ils ils avaient dévisagé Ils avaient dévisagé le témoin. They had stared at the witness.
elles elles avaient dévisagé Elles avaient dévisagé la victime. They had stared at the victim.

Other Conjugations for Dévisager.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévisager
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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