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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décerner

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The English translation of the French verb décerner is “to award” or “to grant.” It is pronounced as “day-sehr-nay” in its infinitive form.

The word décerner comes from the French word “cerner,” meaning “to surround” or “to encircle.” It gained its current meaning in the 15th century and is mainly used in the context of giving recognition or honor to someone or something.

In everyday French, décerner is most often used in the past tense, specifically the Plus-que-parfait tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that had been completed before another action in the past.

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

  1. J’avais décerné le prix à Marie avant qu’elle ne quitte l’école. (I had awarded the prize to Marie before she left school.)

  2. Le jury avait décerné le trophée à l’artiste pour son oeuvre remarquable. (The jury had granted the trophy to the artist for her remarkable work.)

  3. Ils avaient décerné une médaille à mon grand-père pour son courage pendant la guerre. (They had awarded a medal to my grandfather for his courage during the war.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décerné J’avais décerné un prix. I had awarded a prize.
tu tu avais décerné Tu avais décerné une récompense. You had awarded a reward.
il il avait décerné Il avait décerné un trophée. He had awarded a trophy.
elle elle avait décerné Elle avait décerné une médaille. She had awarded a medal.
on on avait décerné On avait décerné un diplôme. One had awarded a diploma.
nous nous avions décerné Nous avions décerné une distinction. We had awarded a distinction.
vous vous aviez décerné Vous aviez décerné une récompense. You had awarded a reward.
ils ils avaient décerné Ils avaient décerné un prix. They had awarded a prize.
elles elles avaient décerné Elles avaient décerné une médaille. They had awarded a medal.

Other Conjugations for Décerner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décerner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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