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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb insensibiliser

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of insensibiliser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb insensibiliser is “to desensitize” or “to make insensitive.” It is pronounced “ahn-sahn-see-bee-lee-zay.”

The verb insensibiliser comes from the Latin word “insensibilis” meaning “not feeling,” and the French suffix “-iser” meaning “to make.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of making someone or something less sensitive or responsive to a certain stimulus.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, insensibiliser is often used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the subjonctif imparfait tense and adding the past participle “insensibilisé.”

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

  1. J’avais insensibilisé mes doigts avant de toucher le glaçon. (I had desensitized my fingers before touching the ice cube.)
  2. Elle aurait insensibilisé sa peau pour résister à la douleur. (She would have desensitized her skin to withstand the pain.)
  3. Nous aurions insensibilisé nos oreilles pour ne pas entendre les critiques. (We would have desensitized our ears to not hear the criticisms.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse insensibilisé Il est possible que je eusse insensibilisé mon chien à la douleur. It is possible that I had desensitized my dog to pain.
tu eusses insensibilisé Il est possible que tu eusses insensibilisé ton chat à la douleur. It is possible that you had desensitized your cat to pain.
il eût insensibilisé Il est possible qu’il eût insensibilisé son rat à la douleur. It is possible that he had desensitized his rat to pain.
elle eût insensibilisé Il est possible qu’elle eût insensibilisé sa souris à la douleur. It is possible that she had desensitized her mouse to pain.
on eût insensibilisé Il est possible qu’on eût insensibilisé nos animaux à la douleur. It is possible that we had desensitized our animals to pain.
nous eussions insensibilisé Il est possible que nous eussions insensibilisé nos serpents à la douleur. It is possible that we had desensitized our snakes to pain.
vous eussiez insensibilisé Il est possible que vous eussiez insensibilisé vos oiseaux à la douleur. It is possible that you had desensitized your birds to pain.
ils eussent insensibilisé Il est possible qu’ils eussent insensibilisé leurs poissons à la douleur. It is possible that they had desensitized their fish to pain.
elles eussent Insensibilisé Il est possible qu’elles eussent insensibilisé leurs lapins à la douleur. It is possible that they had desensitized their rabbits to pain.

Other Conjugations for Insensibiliser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb insensibiliser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the insensibiliser Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts