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

Introduction to the verb dépanner

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The English translation of the French verb dépanner is “to help out” or “to fix”. It is pronounced as “day-pan-nay”.

Dépanner comes from the French word “panne” which means “breakdown” or “failure”. Therefore, dépanner can be understood as “to fix a breakdown” or “to help out in a difficult situation”.

In everyday French, dépanner is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that should have been completed before another action in the past. It is typically used to talk about missed opportunities or regrets.

Here are three examples of dépanner used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’aurais dû te dépanner hier soir, mais j’avais oublié mon outil. (I should have helped you out last night, but I had forgotten my tool.)
  2. Elle regrettait de ne pas avoir dépanné son ami lorsqu’il en avait besoin. (She regretted not helping out her friend when he needed it.)
  3. Si tu m’avais dépanné avant, je n’aurais pas eu autant de problèmes. (If you had helped me out earlier, I wouldn’t have had so many problems.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dépanner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépanner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dépanner – 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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