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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénickeler

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The English translation of the French verb dénickeler is “to strip off the nickels”. It is pronounced as “day-nee-kay-luh”.

The word dénickeler originated from the French word nickel, which comes from the German word Nickel, meaning “devil”. In the 18th century, miners in Germany believed they were being tricked by a mischievous creature, who would mix large amounts of copper with their ore. This led them to name this troublesome imp “Old Nick” and eventually the impure ore became known as “kupfernickel” (copper nickel). The French word dénickeler emerged from this term, referring to the process of removing the copper from the nickel.

In everyday French, dénickeler is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense of the subjunctive mood. This tense is used to express actions that were completed before another action in the past.

Three simple examples of dénickeler in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais dénickelé toutes les pièces avant que vous ne me demandiez de les compter. (I had stripped off all the nickels before you asked me to count them.)
  2. Elle avait dénickelé le vieux meuble pour en récupérer les pièces en cuivre. (She had stripped off the old piece of furniture to retrieve the copper pieces.)
  3. Ils avaient dénickelé leur monnaie avant de partir en vacances. (They had stripped off their change before leaving for vacation.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dénickeler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénickeler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dénickeler – 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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