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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb désherber

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The English translation of the French verb désherber is “to weed.” It is pronounced “day-shair-bair.”

Désherber is derived from the Old French word “desirber,” which comes from the Latin word “exherbare,” meaning “to weed out.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of removing unwanted plants or weeds from a garden or field.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, désherber is used to express a hypothetical action that happened in the past, before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of désherber.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais désherbé le jardin avant que tu n’arrives. (I would have weeded the garden before you arrived.)

  2. Il serait venu m’aider si j’avais désherbé le champ. (He would have come to help me if I had weeded the field.)

  3. Nous serions partis plus tôt si nous avions désherbé le potager. (We would have left earlier if we had weeded the vegetable garden.)

In each of these examples, désherber is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that could have happened, but did not. It is often used in conditional or hypothetical situations to express regret or a missed opportunity.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Désherber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb désherber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Désherber – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb désherber. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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