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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévoyer

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The English translation of the French verb dévoyer is “to lead astray” or “to mislead.” It is pronounced as “day-vwah-yay” in the infinitive form.

Dévoyer comes from the Old French word “devoier,” which means “to divert” or “to lead away from the right path.” It is derived from the Latin word “deviare,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, dévoyer is used in the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense to indicate actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.

Example 1: Nous avions dévoyé nos amis avec nos plaisanteries.
Translation: We had led our friends astray with our jokes.

Example 2: Vous aviez dévoyé l’opinion publique avec vos mensonges.
Translation: You had misled public opinion with your lies.

Example 3: Ils avaient dévoyé le projet en y ajoutant trop de détails inutiles.
Translation: They had diverted the project by adding too many unnecessary details.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dévoyé J’avais dévoyé mon chemin. I had strayed from my path.
tu tu avais dévoyé Tu avais dévoyé son attention. You had diverted his attention.
il il avait dévoyé Il avait dévoyé les règles. He had broken the rules.
elle elle avait dévoyé Elle avait dévoyé sa promesse. She had broken her promise.
on on avait dévoyé On avait dévoyé sa confiance. One had betrayed his trust.
nous nous avions dévoyé Nous avions dévoyé notre mission. We had deviated from our mission.
vous vous aviez dévoyé Vous aviez dévoyé leur plan. You had derailed their plan.
ils ils avaient dévoyé Ils avaient dévoyé leur plan. They had derailed their plan.
elles elles avaient dévoyé Elles avaient dévoyé leur plan. They had derailed their plan.

Other Conjugations for Dévoyer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévoyer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dévoyer – 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.

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