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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapiter

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The English translation of the French verb décapiter is “to decapitate.” It is pronounced as “day-kah-pee-tay.”

Décapiter has its roots in the Latin word “decapitare,” meaning “to behead.” It is a regular -er verb in French and is most often used in its infinitive form or in the past tense.

In everyday French, décapiter is most commonly used in its past tense forms, such as the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. It is often used to talk about past events or situations that have consequences in the present.

Three examples of décapiter in the Plus-que-parfait tense in everyday French are:

  1. J’avais décapité le poulet pour le dîner. (I had decapitated the chicken for dinner.)
  2. Les révolutionnaires avaient décapité le roi pendant la Révolution française. (The revolutionaries had decapitated the king during the French Revolution.)
  3. Tu avais décapité toutes les fleurs dans le jardin. (You had decapitated all the flowers in the garden.)

These examples all use the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that had been completed before a specific past action. In English, the verb “had” is used to indicate this past perfect tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décapité J’avais décapité le roi. I had beheaded the king.
tu tu avais décapité Tu avais décapité la reine. You had beheaded the queen.
il il avait décapité Il avait décapité le prisonnier. He had beheaded the prisoner.
elle elle avait décapité Elle avait décapité le traître. She had beheaded the traitor.
on on avait décapité On avait décapité le chef. One had beheaded the leader.
nous nous avions décapité Nous avions décapité le tyran. We had beheaded the tyrant.
vous vous aviez décapité Vous aviez décapité le rebelle. You had beheaded the rebel.
ils ils avaient décapité Ils avaient décapité le criminel. They had beheaded the criminal.
elles elles avaient décapité Elles avaient décapité le coupable. They had beheaded the guilty one.

Other Conjugations for Décapiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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