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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désenvaser

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The English translation of the French verb désenvaser is “to unclog” or “to clear out”. The infinitive form of désenvaser is pronounced as “day-zahn-vah-zay”.

The word désenvaser comes from the combination of the prefix “dés-” which means “to undo” and the verb “envaser” which means “to fill with mud or sludge”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that took place before another past action.

Three simple examples of désenvaser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’aurais désenvasé la canalisation si j’avais su que ça allait la boucher. (I would have unclogged the pipe if I had known it was going to clog.)
  2. Tu aurais désenvasé la rivière avant la saison des pluies si tu avais écouté mon conseil. (You would have cleared out the river before the rainy season if you had listened to my advice.)
  3. Il aurait désenvasé le puits avant qu’il ne soit trop tard. (He would have unclogged the well before it was too late.)

English translations:

  1. I would have unclogged the pipe if I had known it was going to clog.
  2. You would have cleared out the river before the rainy season if you had listened to my advice.
  3. He would have unclogged the well before it was too late.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse désenvasé Il était possible que je eusse désenvasé. It was possible that I had unclogged.
tu eusses désenvasé Il était possible que tu eusses désenvasé. It was possible that you had unclogged.
il eût désenvasé Il était possible qu’il eût désenvasé. It was possible that he had unclogged.
elle eût désenvasé Il était possible qu’elle eût désenvasé. It was possible that she had unclogged.
on eût désenvasé Il était possible qu’on eût désenvasé. It was possible that one had unclogged.
nous eussions désenvasé Il était possible que nous eussions désenvasé. It was possible that we had unclogged.
vous eussiez désenvasé Il était possible que vous eussiez désenvasé. It was possible that you had unclogged.
ils eussent désenvasé Il était possible qu’ils eussent désenvasé. It was possible that they had unclogged.
elles eussent désenvasé Il était possible qu’elles eussent désenvasé. It was possible that they had unclogged.

Other Conjugations for Désenvaser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désenvaser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désenvaser – 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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