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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dédouaner

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The English translation of the French verb dédouaner is “to clear customs.” The infinitive form, dédouaner, is pronounced as “day-doo-an-ay.”

The word dédouaner comes from the French prefix “dé-“, meaning “un-” or “de-“, and the word “douane,” meaning “customs.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express an action that was completed in the past before another action in the past.

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

  1. J’avais dédouané mes bagages avant de prendre l’avion. (I had cleared my luggage before taking the plane.)
  2. Elle avait dédouané les marchandises avant de les expédier à l’étranger. (She had cleared the goods before shipping them abroad.)
  3. Nous avions dédouané toutes les formalités avant de traverser la frontière. (We had cleared all the formalities before crossing the border.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse dédouané Si j’étais resté plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé que je eusse dédouané mes bagages. If I had stayed longer, I wish I had cleared my luggage.
tu eusses dédouané Si tu étais resté plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé que tu eusses dédouané tes bagages. If you had stayed longer, I wish you had cleared your luggage.
il eût dédouané Si il était resté plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé qu’il eût dédouané ses bagages. If he had stayed longer, I wish he had cleared his luggage.
elle eût dédouané Si elle était restée plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé qu’elle eût dédouané ses bagages. If she had stayed longer, I wish she had cleared her luggage.
on eût dédouané Si on était resté plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé qu’on eût dédouané ses bagages. If one had stayed longer, I wish one had cleared their luggage.
nous eussions dédouané Si nous étions restés plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé que nous eussions dédouané nos bagages. If we had stayed longer, I wish we had cleared our luggage.
vous eussiez dédouané Si vous étiez restés plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé que vous eussiez dédouané vos bagages. If you had stayed longer, I wish you had cleared your luggage.
ils eussent dédouané Si ils étaient restés plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent dédouané leurs bagages. If they had stayed longer, I wish they had cleared their luggage.
elles eussent dédouané Si elles étaient restées plus longtemps, j’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent dédouané leurs bagages. If they had stayed longer, I wish they had cleared their luggage.

Other Conjugations for Dédouaner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédouaner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dédouaner
    (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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Dédouaner – 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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