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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démêler

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The English translation of the French verb démêler is “to untangle” or “to unravel.” It is pronounced as “day-may-lay” in its infinitive form.

The word démêler comes from the Latin term “deminare” which means “to unravel” or “to disentangle.” In modern French, it is used in everyday speech in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past hypothetical action or situation that could have occurred.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies démêlé tes problèmes avec ta famille avant la fête. (I wish you had untangled your problems with your family before the party.)
  2. Il était important que nous ayons démêlé cette affaire avant de prendre une décision. (It was important that we unraveled this matter before making a decision.)
  3. Elles regrettaient que vous ayez démêlé les fils de leur tricot. (They regretted that you had unraveled the threads of their knitting.)

English translations:

  1. I wish you had untangled your problems with your family before the party.
  2. It was important that we unraveled this matter before making a decision.
  3. They regretted that you had unraveled the threads of their knitting.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Démêler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démêler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Démêler – 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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