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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb défricher

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The English translation of the French verb défricher is “to clear (land)”. The infinitive form, défricher, is pronounced “day-free-shay”.

Défricher comes from the Old French word “defrichier”, which is derived from the Latin word “disfricare” meaning “to break up”. It was first used in the 12th century and originally referred to the practice of clearing forests for agricultural purposes.

In everyday French, défricher is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense when expressing a past possibility or hypothetical situation that did not happen. This tense is formed by using the imperfect subjunctive of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of défricher.

Example 1: J’étais heureux que tu eusses défriché la terre comme je te l’avais demandé. (I was happy that you had cleared the land as I had asked you to.)
Example 2: Il aurait fallu que nous eussions défriché plus tôt pour avoir une récolte abondante. (We should have cleared earlier to have a bountiful harvest.)
Example 3: Si j’avais su, j’aurais préféré que tu eusses défriché le terrain avant de planter les arbres. (If I had known, I would have preferred that you had cleared the ground before planting the trees.)

In all three examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past possibility or hypothetical situation that did not occur. The use of “eusses défriché” instead of “avais défriché” or “aurais défriché” indicates that the action of clearing the land was envisioned as a possibility or condition that was not fulfilled.

English translations may vary depending on the context, but they could be translated as follows:
Example 1: I was happy that you had cleared the land as I had asked you to.
Example 2: We should have cleared earlier to have a bountiful harvest.
Example 3: If I had known, I would have preferred that you had cleared the ground before planting the trees.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Défricher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb défricher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Défricher – 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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