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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démanteler

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The English translation of the French verb démanteler is “to dismantle.” It is pronounced as “day-mawn-tuh-lay” in its infinitive form.

Démanteler comes from the Old French word “dementeler,” which means “to take off the mantle,” referring to the act of removing a coat or covering. Over time, the meaning evolved to refer to the act of taking something apart or breaking it down.

In everyday French, démanteler is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action that happened before another past action. This tense is formed by using the past subjunctive of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of démanteler.

Here are three examples of démanteler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Il fallait que j’aie démantelé tous les équipements avant de déménager. (I had to dismantle all the equipment before moving.)
  2. Je doutais qu’elle fût capable de démanteler l’entreprise avec succès. (I doubted that she was capable of dismantling the business successfully.)
  3. Il était regrettable que vous n’eussiez pas démantelé cette arme avant qu’elle ne tombe entre de mauvaises mains. (It was regrettable that you had not dismantled this weapon before it fell into the wrong hands.)

In each of these examples, the action of démanteler took place before the other past actions (déménager, douter, tomber). The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express this sequence of events in a hypothetical or unreal way.

English translations for these examples would be:

  1. I had to dismantle all the equipment before moving.
  2. I doubted that she was capable of dismantling the business successfully.
  3. It was regrettable that you had not dismantled this weapon before it fell into the wrong hands.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Démanteler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démanteler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démanteler
    (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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Démanteler – 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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