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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenchanter

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The English translation of the French verb désenchanter is “to disillusion” or “to disenchant.” It is pronounced as “day-zahn-shahn-tay” in its infinitive form.

Désenchanter comes from the French prefix “dés-” meaning “un-” or “dis-” and the word “enchanté” meaning “enchanted.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past event that did not happen.

Examples of désenchanter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’espérais qu’il aurait réussi son examen, mais il avait désenchanté sa famille en échouant. (I had hoped he would have passed his exam, but he had disillusioned his family by failing.)

  2. Nous avions travaillé dur pour ce projet, mais nos efforts avaient été désenchantés par le manque de soutien de notre patron. (We had worked hard on this project, but our efforts had been disenchanted by the lack of support from our boss.)

  3. Elle avait toujours rêvé de devenir danseuse, mais sa blessure l’avait désenchantée de cette idée. (She had always dreamed of becoming a dancer, but her injury had disillusioned her from this idea.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Désenchanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenchanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désenchanter – 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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