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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débarbouiller

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The English translation of the French verb débarbouiller is “to clean up” or “to wash off”. It is pronounced as “day-bar-boo-yay”.

Débarbouiller comes from the combination of two French words: “dé” meaning “off” and “barbouiller” meaning “to smear” or “to stain”. It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of cleaning or removing dirt, stains, or makeup from the face or hands.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, débarbouiller is conjugated as follows:

  • J’avais débarbouillé (I had cleaned up)
  • Tu avais débarbouillé (You had cleaned up)
  • Il/Elle avait débarbouillé (He/She had cleaned up)
  • Nous avions débarbouillé (We had cleaned up)
  • Vous aviez débarbouillé (You had cleaned up)
  • Ils/Elles avaient débarbouillé (They had cleaned up)

Here are three simple examples of débarbouiller in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies débarbouillé tes mains avant de toucher à la nourriture. (I wish you had washed your hands before touching the food.)

  2. Il était évident qu’elle avait débarbouillé son visage avant de se rendre à la réunion. (It was obvious that she had cleaned her face before going to the meeting.)

  3. J’étais contente que nous ayons débarbouillé la cuisine avant l’arrivée des invités. (I was glad that we had cleaned up the kitchen before the guests arrived.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Débarbouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débarbouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débarbouiller – 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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