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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détortiller

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The English translation of the French verb détortiller is “to untwist” or “to unravel.” It is pronounced as “day-tor-tee-yay.”

The language origin of détortiller comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “undo” and the verb “tortiller” meaning “to twist.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense.

Examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais peur que tu n’aies détortillé mes cheveux. (I was afraid that you had untwisted my hair.)

  2. Il était probable qu’elle eût détortillé les câbles électriques. (It was likely that she had unraveled the electric cables.)

  3. Nous doutions qu’ils eussent détortillé les fils de laine. (We doubted that they had untwisted the wool threads.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Détortiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détortiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Détortiller – 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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