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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenivrer

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The English translation of the French verb désenivrer is “to sober up.” The infinitive form, désenivrer, is pronounced as “day-zeh-nee-vray.”

The word désenivrer is derived from the prefix dés- meaning “to remove” and enivrer meaning “to get drunk.” Therefore, désenivrer literally means “to remove drunkenness.”

In everyday French, désenivrer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense. This tense is used to express an action that would have happened in the past if certain conditions were met. It is often used to talk about hypothetical or imagined situations.

Example 1: Si j’étais venu plus tôt, il se serait désenivré avant de conduire. (If I had come earlier, he would have sobered up before driving.)
Example 2: Elle serait sortie si tu t’étais désenivré plus tôt. (She would have gone out if you had sobered up earlier.)
Example 3: Si vous vous étiez désenivré avant la fête, vous n’auriez pas fait ces commentaires blessants. (If you had sobered up before the party, you would not have made those hurtful comments.)

English translations:
Example 1: If I had come earlier, he would have sobered up before driving.
Example 2: She would have gone out if you had sobered up earlier.
Example 3: If you had sobered up before the party, you would not have made those hurtful comments.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse désenivré Je n’aurais pas été ivre si je eusse désenivré. I wouldn’t have been drunk if I had sobered up.
tu eusses désenivré Tu aurais dû le faire avant que tu eusses désenivré. You should have done it before you had sobered up.
il eût désenivré J’aurais aimé qu’il eût désenivré avant de conduire. I wish he had sobered up before driving.
elle eût désenivré J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût désenivré avant de prendre une décision. I wish she had sobered up before making a decision.
on eût désenivré Il aurait été préférable qu’on eût désenivré avant de parler. It would have been better if one had sobered up before speaking.
nous eussions désenivré Nous aurions dû nous désenivrer avant le dîner. We should have sobered up before dinner.
vous eussiez désenivré Vous auriez pu l’aider si vous eussiez désenivré plus tôt. You could have helped him if you had sobered up earlier.
ils eussent désenivré Ils auraient dû le faire avant qu’ils eussent désenivré. They should have done it before they had sobered up.
elles eussent désenivré Elles auraient aimé qu’elles eussent désenivré avant de sortir. They would have liked to have sobered up before going out.

Other Conjugations for Désenivrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenivrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désenivrer – 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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