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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déplumer

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The English translation of the French verb déplumer is “to pluck” or “to strip.” It is pronounced as “day-ploom-ay” in its infinitive form.

Déplumer comes from the Latin word “pluma,” meaning “feather,” and the prefix “de,” indicating removal or separation. Therefore, the literal meaning of déplumer is to remove feathers.

In everyday French, déplumer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Example 1: J’avais déplumé la dinde avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had plucked the turkey before the guests arrived.)
Example 2: Elle était déplumée quand elle a été retrouvée dans la forêt. (She had been stripped of her feathers when she was found in the forest.)
Example 3: Nous avions déplumé toutes les poules avant de les mettre dans le poulailler. (We had plucked all the chickens before putting them in the chicken coop.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse déplumé Si j’étais arrivé plus tôt, j’aurais eu le temps de me déplumer. If I had arrived earlier, I would have had time to pluck myself.
tu eusses déplumé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses déplumé ce poulet avant de le cuire. I wish you had plucked this chicken before cooking it.
il eût déplumé Je regrette qu’il eût déplumé les oies sans me demander. I regret that he had plucked the geese without asking me.
elle eût déplumé Elle m’a demandé si j’avais déjà eût déplumé un poulet avant. She asked me if I had ever plucked a chicken before.
on eût déplumé Il faut que j’aille déplumer les poules, sinon il n’y aura pas de dîner. I have to go pluck the hens, otherwise there will be no dinner.
nous eussions déplumé Si nous avions su, nous n’aurions pas eussions déplumé les oiseaux. If we had known, we would not have plucked the birds.
vous eussiez déplumé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez déplumé les canards avant de les faire rôtir. I wish you had plucked the ducks before roasting them.
ils eussent déplumé Ils auraient été plus rapides s’ils n’eussent pas déplumé les poulets à la main. They would have been faster if they had not plucked the chickens by hand.
elles eussent déplumé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent déplumé les pintades avant qu’elles ne soient cuites. I wish they had plucked the guinea fowl before they were cooked.

Other Conjugations for Déplumer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déplumer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Déplumer – 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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