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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb disposer

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The English translation of the French verb disposer is “to dispose” or “to arrange”. The infinitive form, disposer, is pronounced “dee-spoh-zay.”

The word disposer comes from the Latin word disposare, which means “to arrange” or “to put in order.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express an action that would have happened before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies déjà disposé la table avant que les invités arrivent. (I would have liked for you to have already set the table before the guests arrived.)

  2. Nous étions contents qu’il eût disposé toutes les chaises dans la salle avant le début de la réunion. (We were happy that he had arranged all the chairs in the room before the start of the meeting.)

  3. Il était important que les fleurs eussent été disposées avant le début de la cérémonie. (It was important that the flowers had been arranged before the start of the ceremony.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse disposé J’aurais aimé que je eusse disposé mon temps différemment. I wish I had arranged my time differently.
tu eusses disposé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses disposé de plus de temps. I wish you had arranged for more time.
il eût disposé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût disposé de ses ressources de manière plus équitable. I wish he had distributed his resources more fairly.
elle eût disposé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût disposé de sa vie autrement. I wish she had arranged her life differently.
on eût disposé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût disposé de ce bien plus tôt. I wish one had arranged for this good earlier.
nous eussions disposé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions disposé de plus d’informations. I wish we had had more information.
vous eussiez disposé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez disposé d’une plus grande variété de choix. I wish you had arranged for a wider variety of options.
ils eussent disposé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent disposé de leur argent de manière plus responsable. I wish they had managed their money more responsibly.
elles eussent disposé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent disposé de plus de liberté. I wish they had had more freedom.

Other Conjugations for Disposer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb disposer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Disposer – 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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