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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapsuler

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The English translation of the French verb décapsuler is “to open a bottle” or “to uncork”. It is pronounced “day-cap-soo-lay”.

The language origin of décapsuler comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, meaning “undo” or “remove”, and the word “capsule”, which refers to the metal or plastic covering of a bottle. In everyday French, décapsuler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense and indicates an action that was completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais décapsulé la bouteille avant que mes amis n’arrivent. (I had opened the bottle before my friends arrived.)

  2. Tu avais décapsulé la bière quand je suis rentré à la maison. (You had uncorked the beer when I came home.)

  3. Elle avait décapsulé la bouteille de vin pour le dîner mais personne n’en a bu. (She had uncorked the bottle of wine for dinner but no one drank it.)

  4. I had opened the bottle before my friends arrived.

  5. You had uncorked the beer when I came home.

  6. She had uncorked the bottle of wine for dinner but no one drank it.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décapsulé J’avais décapsulé la bouteille. I had opened the bottle with a bottle opener.
tu tu avais décapsulé Tu avais décapsulé la bière. You had opened the beer with a bottle opener.
il il avait décapsulé Il avait décapsulé le soda. He had opened the soda with a bottle opener.
elle elle avait décapsulé Elle avait décapsulé le jus. She had opened the juice with a bottle opener.
on on avait décapsulé On avait décapsulé la boisson gazeuse. One had opened the carbonated drink with a bottle opener.
nous nous avions décapsulé Nous avions décapsulé le champagne. We had opened the champagne with a bottle opener.
vous vous aviez décapsulé Vous aviez décapsulé le cidre. You had opened the cider with a bottle opener.
ils ils avaient décapsulé Ils avaient décapsulé la limonade. They had opened the lemonade with a bottle opener.
elles elles avaient décapsulé Elles avaient décapsulé la boisson énergisante. They had opened the energy drink with a bottle opener.

Other Conjugations for Décapsuler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapsuler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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