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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dilapider

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The English translation of the French verb dilapider is “to squander” or “to waste.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “dee-la-pee-day.”

The word dilapider comes from the Latin term “dilapidare,” which means “to destroy” or “to squander.” It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used to refer to the act of wasting or squandering resources.

In everyday French, dilapider is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is often used in a negative context, to describe someone’s reckless or careless use of resources.

Three examples of its usage in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Il fallait que je ne dilapidasse pas mon argent avant de trouver un emploi stable. (I had to not squander my money before finding a stable job.)

  2. Nous aurions dû économiser davantage avant de partir en vacances, au lieu de dilapider tous nos économies. (We should have saved more before going on vacation, instead of squandering all our savings.)

  3. Si tu n’avais pas dilapidé ton temps à jouer aux jeux vidéos, tu aurais réussi ton examen. (If you hadn’t wasted your time playing video games, you would have passed your exam.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse dilapidé J’aurais aimé que je eusse dilapidé tout mon argent. I wish I had squandered all my money.
tu eusses dilapidé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses dilapidé tout ton argent. I wish you had squandered all your money.
il eût dilapidé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût dilapidé tout son argent. I wish he had squandered all his money.
elle eût dilapidé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût dilapidé tout son argent. I wish she had squandered all her money.
on eût dilapidé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût dilapidé tout son argent. I wish one had squandered all their money.
nous eussions dilapidé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions dilapidé tout notre argent. I wish we had squandered all our money.
vous eussiez dilapidé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez dilapidé tout votre argent. I wish you had squandered all your money.
ils eussent dilapidé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent dilapidé tout leur argent. I wish they had squandered all their money.
elles eussent dilapidé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent dilapidé tout leur argent. I wish they had squandered all their money.

Other Conjugations for Dilapider.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dilapider
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Dilapider – 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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