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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décercler

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The English translation of the French verb décercler is “to remove the lid” or “to take off the lid”. It is pronounced as “day-sehr-kleh”.

Décercler comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, meaning “un-” or “de-“, and the word “cercle” meaning “circle” or “ring”. Together, they form the meaning of “to take off the circle” or in this case, “to remove the lid”.

In everyday French, décercler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the pluperfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another action took place.

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

  1. J’avais décerclé le pot avant de le mettre au réfrigérateur. (I had removed the lid of the jar before putting it in the fridge.)
  2. Elle avait décerclé la boîte de cookies quand elle s’est rendu compte qu’ils étaient périmés. (She had taken off the lid of the cookie box when she realized they were expired.)
  3. Nous avions décerclé la bouteille de vin avant de la servir à table. (We had removed the lid of the wine bottle before serving it at the table.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décerclé J’avais décerclé la bouteille. I had uncapped the bottle.
tu tu avais décerclé Tu avais décerclé le pot. You had uncapped the jar.
il il avait décerclé Il avait décerclé le tonneau. He had uncapped the barrel.
elle elle avait décerclé Elle avait décerclé la boîte. She had uncapped the box.
on on avait décerclé On avait décerclé le bidon. One had uncapped the can.
nous nous avions décerclé Nous avions décerclé le fût. We had uncapped the keg.
vous vous aviez décerclé Vous aviez décerclé le seau. You had uncapped the bucket.
ils ils avaient décerclé Ils avaient décerclé le tube. They had uncapped the tube.
elles elles avaient décerclé Elles avaient décerclé le récipient. They had uncapped the container.

Other Conjugations for Décercler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décercler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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