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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépaver

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The English translation of the French verb dépaver is “to remove pavement” or “to dig up pavement.” It is pronounced as “day-pah-vay” in its infinitive form.

The word dépaver comes from the prefix “de-” meaning “undo” or “remove” and the verb “paver” meaning “to pave.” It originated in Old French and is still used in modern French to refer to the act of removing pavement, typically in the context of road or construction work.

In everyday French, dépaver is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense used to express an action that would have happened before another past action or event. This tense is not used as frequently in spoken French but is commonly found in formal or written language.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu aies dépavé la rue avant que les ouvriers commencent à creuser. (I would have preferred that you had removed the pavement before the workers started digging.)

  2. Il fallait que nous ayons dépavé la place pour pouvoir installer les nouvelles fontaines. (We had to have removed the pavement in order to install the new fountains.)

  3. Je regrette que vous n’ayez pas dépavé la cour avant la fête. (I regret that you did not remove the pavement before the party.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dépaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dépaver – 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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