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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb déclouer

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The English translation of déclouer is “to unfasten” or “to unbolt.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “day-kloo-eh.”

Déclouer comes from the French word “clou” meaning “nail” and the prefix “de-” which indicates the opposite or reversal of an action. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of taking out a nail or fastener from something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, déclouer is conjugated as “avais décloué” for the first person singular, meaning “I had unfastened.” Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais décloué le tableau du mur hier. (I had unfastened the painting from the wall yesterday.)
  2. Elle m’avait décloué les cheveux avant d’aller au lit. (She had unfastened my hair before going to bed.)
  3. Nous avions décloué les planches pour les remplacer par des nouvelles. (We had unfastened the planks to replace them with new ones.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décloué J’avais décloué les panneaux. I had removed the panels.
tu tu avais décloué Tu avais décloué les tapis. You had removed the carpets.
il il avait décloué Il avait décloué la porte. He had removed the door.
elle elle avait décloué Elle avait décloué les tableaux. She had taken down the paintings.
on on avait décloué On avait décloué le miroir. One had taken down the mirror.
nous nous avions décloué Nous avions décloué les cadres. We had taken down the frames.
vous vous aviez décloué Vous aviez décloué les étagères. You had removed the shelves.
ils ils avaient décloué Ils avaient décloué les fenêtres. They had removed the windows.
elles elles avaient décloué Elles avaient décloué les échelles. They had removed the ladders.

Other Conjugations for Déclouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb déclouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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