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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décéder

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The English translation of the French verb décéder is “to pass away” or “to die.” It is pronounced as “day-seh-day.”

The word décéder comes from the Latin word “decessere,” meaning “to depart” or “to die.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe someone’s death, either in a formal or informal context.

In the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense, décéder is used to talk about an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the past tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of décéder.

Example 1: J’avais déjà décédé lorsque mes enfants sont arrivés. (I had already passed away when my children arrived.)
Example 2: Elle était décédée avant que je ne puisse la voir une dernière fois. (She had passed away before I could see her one last time.)
Example 3: Nous avions décédé il y a plusieurs années, mais nos amis continuent à se souvenir de nous. (We had passed away many years ago, but our friends still remember us.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’étais décédé J’étais décédé il y a deux ans. I had passed away two years ago.
tu tu étais décédé Tu étais décédé avant ton anniversaire. You had passed away before your birthday.
il il était décédé Il était décédé des suites d’une maladie. He had passed away from an illness.
elle elle était décédée Elle était décédée dans son sommeil. She had passed away in her sleep.
on on était décédé On était décédé avant d’avoir pu se réconcilier. One had passed away before being able to reconcile.
nous nous étions décédés Nous étions décédés dans un accident de voiture. We had passed away in a car accident.
vous vous étiez décédé Vous étiez décédé lors de votre voyage en Asie. You had passed away during your trip to Asia.
ils ils étaient décédés Ils étaient décédés à un âge avancé. They had passed away at an old age.
elles elles étaient décédées Elles étaient décédées dans un incendie. They had passed away in a fire.

Other Conjugations for Décéder.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décéder
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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