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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb desceller

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The English translation of the French verb desceller is “to unseal” or “to break the seal.” The infinitive form is pronounced “de-suh-lay.”

Desceller comes from the Old French word “desseler,” which is derived from the Latin word “dissellare,” meaning “to loosen or unseal.” In everyday French, desceller is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a past subjunctive tense used to express an action that would have occurred before another past action.

Examples:

  1. Il fallait que j’eusse descellé la porte avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had to unseal the door before the guests arrived.)
  2. Je craignais qu’il eût déjà descellé le document avant que je n’arrive. (I was afraid that he had already broken the seal on the document before I arrived.)
  3. Il était important que vous eussiez descellé le coffre avant que la police n’arrive. (It was important that you had unsealed the safe before the police arrived.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse descellé Il était nécessaire que je eusse descellé le mystère. It was necessary for me to have solved the mystery.
tu eusses descellé Il était nécessaire que tu eusses descellé le mystère. It was necessary for you to have solved the mystery.
il eût descellé Il était nécessaire qu’il eût descellé le mystère. It was necessary for him to have solved the mystery.
elle eût descellé Il était nécessaire qu’elle eût descellé le mystère. It was necessary for her to have solved the mystery.
on eût descellé Il était nécessaire qu’on eût descellé le mystère. It was necessary for one to have solved the mystery.
nous eussions descellé Il était nécessaire que nous eussions descellé le mystère. It was necessary for us to have solved the mystery.
vous eussiez descellé Il était nécessaire que vous eussiez descellé le mystère. It was necessary for you to have solved the mystery.
ils eussent descellé Il était nécessaire qu’ils eussent descellé le mystère. It was necessary for them to have solved the mystery.
elles eussent descellé Il était nécessaire qu’elles eussent descellé le mystère. It was necessary for them to have solved the mystery.

Other Conjugations for Desceller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb desceller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Desceller – 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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