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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb détraquer

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The English translation of the French verb détraquer is “to upset” or “to throw off.” It is pronounced as “day-truh-kay.”

Détraquer comes from the French word “traquer” which means “to track” or “to hunt.” The prefix “dé-” adds the meaning of “undoing” or “throwing off,” giving the verb détraquer the meaning of “to upset” or “to throw off.”

In everyday French, détraquer is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past hypothetical or unreal action. It is often used in formal or literary contexts.

Three examples of détraquer in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations are:

  1. Il faut que tu aies détraqué le système pour qu’il ne fonctionne plus. (You must have upset the system for it to stop working.)
  2. J’aurais aimé que tu n’aies pas détraqué mes plans pour la soirée. (I wish you hadn’t thrown off my plans for the evening.)
  3. Elle avait peur que sa colère n’eût détraqué leur amitié. (She was afraid that her anger had upset their friendship.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse détraqué J’aurais aimé que je eusse détraqué tout le système. I wish I had messed up the whole system.
tu eusses détraqué J’aurais aimé que tu eusses détraqué tout le système. I wish you had messed up the whole system.
il eût détraqué J’aurais aimé qu’il eût détraqué tout le système. I wish he had messed up the whole system.
elle eût détraqué J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût détraqué tout le système. I wish she had messed up the whole system.
on eût détraqué J’aurais aimé qu’on eût détraqué tout le système. I wish one had messed up the whole system.
nous eussions détraqué J’aurais aimé que nous eussions détraqué tout le système. I wish we had messed up the whole system.
vous eussiez détraqué J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez détraqué tout le système. I wish you had messed up the whole system.
ils eussent détraqué J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent détraqué tout le système. I wish they had messed up the whole system.
elles eussent détraqué J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent détraqué tout le système. I wish they had messed up the whole system.

Other Conjugations for Détraquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb détraquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Détraquer – 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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