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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb délabrer

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The English translation of the French verb délabrer is “to dilapidate” or “to deteriorate”. It is pronounced as “day-la-bray”.

Délabrer has its roots in the Old French word “deslabrer”, which comes from the Latin word “de” meaning “down” and “labrum” meaning “edge” or “lip”. It entered modern French in the 16th century and is most often used in the context of buildings or structures that are falling apart or in a state of disrepair.

In everyday French, délabrer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or condition. It is commonly used in formal or literary contexts to describe a situation that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met. For example:

  1. Si je n’avais pas acheté cette maison, elle se serait délabrée en quelques années. (If I hadn’t bought this house, it would have deteriorated in a few years.)

  2. Il était triste de voir comment l’ancien château était délabré. (He was sad to see how the old castle was falling apart.)

  3. Il n’y a pas de doute que si le gouvernement ne prend pas des mesures, le patrimoine culturel va se délabrer. (There is no doubt that if the government doesn’t take measures, the cultural heritage will deteriorate.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is used to express a past hypothetical situation or action. The verb délabrer is conjugated in the third person singular form, with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the past tense, and the past participle “délabré”. In English, it is translated using the conditional perfect tense.

So, délabrer is a useful verb to describe past events or conditions that may have occurred in a different way if certain conditions were met. It is often used in formal or literary contexts, but can also be used in everyday language to describe the current state of a building or structure.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Délabrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délabrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb délabrer
    (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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Délabrer – 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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