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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démaçonner

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The English translation of the French verb démaçonner is “to unmoor” or “to unhook”. It is pronounced as “deh-mah-sohn-ay” in its infinitive form.

Démaçonner comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” which indicates a reversal or undoing, and the word “maçonner” which means “to build or construct”. This verb is most often used in nautical contexts to refer to the action of removing a ship from its moorings or anchors in order to set sail.

In everyday French, démaçonner is commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical action or situation. This tense is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Plus-que-parfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three examples of démaçonner in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Si j’avais su que tu étais malade, je t’aurais démaçonné du port pour te ramener à terre. (If I had known you were sick, I would have unmoored you from the port to bring you back to shore.)

  2. Il fallait que nous ayons démaçonné notre bateau avant la tempête. (We had to have unmoored our boat before the storm.)

  3. J’aurais aimé que vous ayez démaçonné le bateau plus tôt, nous aurions évité cet accident. (I wish you had unmoored the boat earlier, we would have avoided this accident.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu que je eusse démaçonné. It would have been better if I had uncovered.
tu eusses démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu que tu eusses démaçonné. It would have been better if you had uncovered.
il eût démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu qu’il eût démaçonné. It would have been better if he had uncovered.
elle eût démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu qu’elle eût démaçonné. It would have been better if she had uncovered.
on eût démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu qu’on eût démaçonné. It would have been better if one had uncovered.
nous eussions démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu que nous eussions démaçonné. It would have been better if we had uncovered.
vous eussiez démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu que vous eussiez démaçonné. It would have been better if you had uncovered.
ils eussent démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu qu’ils eussent démaçonné. It would have been better if they had uncovered.
elles eussent démaçonné Il aurait mieux valu qu’elles eussent démaçonné. It would have been better if they had uncovered.

Other Conjugations for Démaçonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démaçonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démaçonner
    (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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Démaçonner – 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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