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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déterger

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The English translation of the French verb déterger is “to cleanse” or “to purify.” It is pronounced as “day-tair-zhay” in the infinitive form.

The language origin of déterger comes from the Latin word detergere, meaning “to wipe off” or “to clean.” In everyday French, déterger is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a compound tense used to express an action that has been completed in the past before another action in the past.

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

  1. J’avais détergé la tache avant que tu n’arrives. (I had cleansed the stain before you arrived.)
  2. Nous avions détergé la maison avant que les invités n’arrivent. (We had purified the house before the guests arrived.)
  3. Ils avaient détergé leurs mains avant de toucher la nourriture. (They had cleansed their hands before touching the food.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse détergé J’aurais aimé que je eusse détergé mon linge. I wish I had washed my laundry.
tu eusses détergé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses détergé le sol. I wish you had cleaned the floor.
il eût détergé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût détergé la voiture. I wish he had washed the car.
elle eût détergé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût détergé la fenêtre. I wish she had cleaned the window.
on eût détergé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût détergé la vaisselle. I wish one had washed the dishes.
nous eussions détergé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions détergé le tapis. I wish we had cleaned the carpet.
vous eussiez détergé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez détergé les vêtements. I wish you had washed the clothes.
ils eussent détergé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent détergé les murs. I wish they had cleaned the walls.
elles eussent détergé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent détergé la salle de bain. I wish they had cleaned the bathroom.

Other Conjugations for Déterger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déterger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Déterger – 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 déterger. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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