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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démerder

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The English translation of the French verb démerder is “to manage” or “to sort out”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-mair-day”.

The word démerder comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “undo” or “remove” and the word “merde” which means “shit” or “mess”. It is a slang verb that originated in French street language and is most often used in informal contexts.

In everyday French, démerder is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past situation that could have been managed differently or better. This tense is formed by combining the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the subjonctif imparfait tense with the past participle of the verb démerder.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais dû me démerder pour trouver un moyen de transport. (I should have managed to find a means of transportation.)

  2. Tu aurais mieux fait de te démerder avant que les choses ne deviennent compliquées. (You should have sorted things out before they became complicated.)

  3. Il aurait fallu qu’ils se démerdent pour réparer la voiture en panne. (They should have managed to fix the broken car.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Démerder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démerder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Démerder – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb démerder. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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