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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décamper

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The English translation of the French verb décamper is “to run away” or “to leave quickly.” It is pronounced as “dey-kahm-pey” in its infinitive form.

Décamper comes from the Latin word “decampare,” which means “to break camp.” It first appeared in the French language in the 16th century and is considered an informal or colloquial verb.

In everyday French, décamper is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of décamper in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais décampé avant que le soleil ne se lève. (I had run away before the sun rose.)

  2. Tu avais décampé quand la police est arrivée. (You had left quickly when the police arrived.)

  3. Ils avaient décampé avant que les voisins ne les voient. (They had left quickly before the neighbors saw them.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of décamper

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décampé J’avais décampé avant la tempête. I had departed before the storm.
tu tu avais décampé Tu avais décampé quand j’ai appelé. You had left when I called.
il il avait décampé Il avait décampé après le travail. He had left after work.
elle elle avait décampé Elle avait décampé avant la célébration. She had left before the celebration.
on on avait décampé On avait décampé avant la fin de la journée. One had left before the end of the day.
nous nous avions décampé Nous avions décampé avant le déménagement. We had left before the move.
vous vous aviez décampé Vous aviez décampé avant la fermeture du parc. You had left before the park closed.
ils ils avaient décampé Ils avaient décampé avant l’orage. They had left before the storm.
elles elles avaient décampé Elles avaient décampé avant l’arrivée des invités. They had left before the guests arrived.

Other Conjugations for Décamper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décamper
   

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

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

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

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

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décamper     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décamper

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

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Décamper – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb décamper. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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