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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démieller

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The English translation of the French verb démieller is “to untangle” or “to disentangle.”

The infinitive form of démieller is pronounced “day-mee-ay.”

The verb démieller comes from the word miel, which means “honey” in English. The prefix dé- indicates a reversal or undoing, so démieller literally means “to take the honey out” or “to untangle the honey.” This verb is most commonly used in the context of hair, referring to the act of removing tangles or knots.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, démieller is used to express a hypothetical action that would have occurred in the past. It is often used after the conjunction “si” (if) to express a condition or possibility.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su, j’aurais démiellé tes cheveux avant que tu partes. (If I had known, I would have untangled your hair before you left.)
  2. Il m’avait promis de démieller mes cheveux après la plage, mais il a oublié. (He had promised to untangle my hair after the beach, but he forgot.)
  3. Je regrette de ne pas avoir démiellé mes cheveux avant de sortir, maintenant ils sont tout emmêlés. (I regret not having untangled my hair before going out, now it’s all tangled.)

In everyday French, démieller is most commonly used in the present tense as a regular verb, such as “Je démielle mes cheveux” (I untangle my hair). However, in formal or literary contexts, it may also be used in other tenses, such as the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait as shown in the examples above.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Démieller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démieller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Démieller – 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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