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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dépénaliser

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The English translation of the French verb dépénaliser is “to decriminalize.” It is pronounced as “day-pay-nah-lee-zay” in its infinitive form.

The verb dépénaliser comes from the French words “dé” meaning “removal” and “pénaliser” meaning “to penalize,” and its language origin can be traced back to the Latin word “poena” meaning “punishment.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the process of removing legal penalties or sanctions from a particular action or behavior.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, dépénaliser is used to express a hypothetical past action that was completed before another past action. It is often used in the context of discussing changes to laws or regulations.

  1. Il fallait que cette loi ait été dépénalisée avant que les citoyens ne puissent en bénéficier. (It was necessary for this law to have been decriminalized before citizens could benefit from it.)

  2. J’aurais aimé que la possession de marijuana ait été dépénalisée plus tôt. (I wish the possession of marijuana had been decriminalized earlier.)

  3. Il était temps que l’avortement ait été dépénalisé en France. (It was about time that abortion was decriminalized in France.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dépénaliser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dépénaliser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dépénaliser – 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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