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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb démotiver

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of démotiver. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

English translation: The English translation of the French verb démotiver is “to demotivate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-moh-tee-vay.”

Language origin: The word démotiver comes from the prefix de- (meaning “to remove”), the word motivation (from the Latin motivus, meaning “moving”), and the suffix -er (which is used to form verbs in French). It was first recorded in the French language in the 19th century and has since become a commonly used word in everyday language.

Usage in Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense: In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, démotiver is used to express a past action or situation that could have caused demotivation. It is often used to talk about something that could have happened differently in the past if a certain factor had not caused demotivation.

Examples:

  1. Si j’avais su que mon travail allait être autant démotivant, je ne l’aurais jamais choisi. (If I had known my job was going to be so demotivating, I would have never chosen it.)
  2. Elle aurait réussi ses examens si les critiques de son professeur ne l’avaient pas démotivée. (She would have passed her exams if her teacher’s criticisms had not demotivated her.)
  3. Nous aurions gagné le match si notre coach ne nous avait pas démotivés avec ses commentaires négatifs. (We would have won the game if our coach had not demotivated us with his negative comments.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Démotiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démotiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the démotiver Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Démotiver – 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 démotiver. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts