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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débalourder

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The English translation of the French verb débalourder is “to tidy up” or “to put in order.” It is pronounced as “day-bal-oor-day.”

Débalourder comes from the word “balourd,” which means clumsy or awkward. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that would have taken place before another past action in the subjunctive mood.

Examples:

  1. Il fallait que je débalourdasse ma chambre avant que mes parents n’arrivent. (I had to tidy up my room before my parents arrived.)
  2. Nous aurions aimé que vous débalourdassiez vos affaires avant notre arrivée. (We would have liked for you to tidy up your things before our arrival.)
  3. Il était nécessaire que nous débalourdassions la salle de réunion avant la réunion avec le client. (It was necessary for us to tidy up the meeting room before the meeting with the client.)

In each of these sentences, the action of tidying up (débalourder) would have been completed before the other past action took place. In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, débalourder is conjugated as follows:

  • je débalourdasse
  • tu débalourdasses
  • il/elle/on débalourdat
  • nous débalourdassions
  • vous débalourdassiez
  • ils/elles débalourdaient

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of débalourder

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse débalourder J’aurais aimé que je eusse débalourder. I wish I had decluttered.
tu eusses débalourder J’aurais aimé que tu eusses débalourder. I wish you had decluttered.
il eût débalourder J’aurais aimé qu’il eût débalourder. I wish he had decluttered.
elle eût débalourder J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût débalourder. I wish she had decluttered.
on eût débalourder J’aurais aimé qu’on eût débalourder. I wish one had decluttered.
nous eussions débalourder J’aurais aimé que nous eussions débalourder. I wish we had decluttered.
vous eussiez débalourder J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez débalourder. I wish you had decluttered.
ils eussent débalourder J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent débalourder. I wish they had decluttered.
elles eussent débalourder J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent débalourder. I wish they had decluttered.

Other Conjugations for Débalourder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débalourder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débalourder
    (this article)

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Débalourder – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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