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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déferler

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The English translation of the French verb déferler is “to surge” or “to roll in waves.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-fair-lay.”

Déferler comes from the French word “ferler,” which means “to furl” or “to roll up.” It is derived from the Latin word “ferire,” which means “to strike.” In everyday French, déferler is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past tense used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action.

Some examples of déferler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que les vagues se soient déferlées plus tôt. (I would have liked the waves to have surged earlier.)
  2. Nous aurions préféré que la tempête se soit déferlée plus près de la côte. (We would have preferred the storm to have surged closer to the coast.)
  3. Il aurait fallu qu’ils soient prêts avant que la panique ne se soit déferlée. (They should have been ready before the panic surged.)

In all of these examples, the action of déferler (surging) happened before another past action (aimer, préférer, and falloir). The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used here to express the uncertainty or hypothetical nature of the surging action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse déferlé Il souhaitait que je eusse déferlé. He wished I had surged.
tu eusses déferlé Il souhaitait que tu eusses déferlé. He wished you had surged.
il eût déferlé Il souhaitait qu’il eût déferlé. He wished he had surged.
elle eût déferlé Il souhaitait qu’elle eût déferlé. He wished she had surged.
on eût déferlé Il souhaitait qu’on eût déferlé. He wished one had surged.
nous eussions déferlé Il souhaitait que nous eussions déferlé. He wished we had surged.
vous eussiez déferlé Il souhaitait que vous eussiez déferlé. He wished you had surged.
ils eussent déferlé Il souhaitait qu’ils eussent déferlé. He wished they had surged.
elles eussent déferlé Il souhaitait qu’elles eussent déferlé. He wished they had surged.

Other Conjugations for Déferler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déferler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déferler
    (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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Déferler – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb déferler. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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