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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévisager

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The English translation of the French verb dévisager is “to stare at” or “to scrutinize.” It is pronounced as “day-vee-za-jay” in its infinitive form.

The word dévisager comes from the Old French term “desvisagier,” which is a combination of the prefix “des,” meaning “away,” and “visage,” meaning “face.” In everyday French, dévisager is used to describe the action of intensely looking at someone’s face, often with an unsettling or aggressive manner.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, dévisager is used to express an action that took place before another action in the past, and is typically translated as “had stared at.”

Examples:

  1. J’avais dévisagé la femme avant qu’elle ne me reconnaisse. (I had stared at the woman before she recognized me.)

  2. Avant que le jury ne rende son verdict, l’accusé avait dévisagé chaque membre avec inquiétude. (Before the jury gave its verdict, the accused had scrutinized each member with worry.)

  3. Elle avait dévisagé son mari d’un air de défi avant de lui annoncer sa décision de divorcer. (She had stared at her husband with a defiant look before announcing her decision to divorce him.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Dévisager.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévisager
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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

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