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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb débouder

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The English translation of the French verb débouder is “to unscrew” or “to unfasten.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-boo-day.”

Débouder originates from the Old French word “desbouder,” which means “to loosen” or “to untie.” It is derived from the prefix “de-” meaning “undo” and the verb “bouder” meaning “to tighten” or “to fasten.”

In everyday French, débouder is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express an action that is hypothetical, contrary to reality, or unlikely to happen in the past.

1) Il fallait que je déboude la vis avant de pouvoir retirer le couvercle. (English translation: I needed to unscrew the bolt before I could remove the lid.)
2) Nous aurions dû débouder les écrous plus tôt pour éviter tout problème. (English translation: We should have unscrewed the nuts earlier to avoid any issues.)
3) Elle ne croyait pas que je déboude le bouchon de la bouteille avec autant de facilité. (English translation: She couldn’t believe that I unscrewed the bottle cap with such ease.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Débouder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb débouder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Débouder – 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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