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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépeigner

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The English translation of the French verb dépeigner is “to untangle” or “to dishevel”. It is pronounced as “day-peh-nyay”.

Dépeigner comes from the French prefix “dé-” meaning “undo” and the verb “peigner” meaning “to comb”. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of untangling or combing through hair, but it can also be used in a figurative sense to describe untangling a situation or problem.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, dépeigner is used to express actions or events that were already completed in the past and that may or may not have had an impact on a later action in the past. It is conjugated as follows:

  • J’eusse dépeigné (I had untangled)
  • Tu eusses dépeigné (You had untangled)
  • Il/Elle eût dépeigné (He/She had untangled)
  • Nous eussions dépeigné (We had untangled)
  • Vous eussiez dépeigné (You had untangled)
  • Ils/Elles eussent dépeigné (They had untangled)

Example sentences in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with dépeigner:

1) J’eusse dépeigné mes cheveux avant la réunion. (I had untangled my hair before the meeting.)
2) Si tu eusses dépeigné les problèmes avant, nous n’aurions pas eu autant de difficultés. (If you had untangled the problems before, we wouldn’t have had so many difficulties.)
3) Il se serait enfui s’il eût dépeigné les menaces de son patron. (He would have fled if he had untangled the threats from his boss.)

English translations:

1) I had untangled my hair before the meeting.
2) If you had untangled the problems before, we wouldn’t have had so many difficulties.
3) He would have fled if he had untangled the threats from his boss.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dépeigner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépeigner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dépeigner – 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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