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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décoffrer

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The English translation of the French verb décoffrer is “to remove the formwork” or “to take down the scaffolding.” It is pronounced as “day-kof-ray”.

Décoffrer comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” which means “to undo” and the word “coffrer” which means “to box or enclose.” The origin of the verb can be traced back to the Old French word “coffre” which means “chest” or “box.”

In everyday French, décoffrer is commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that took place before another action in the past. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of décoffrer.

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

  1. J’avais décoffré les échafaudages avant que les ouvriers ne commencent à travailler.
    Translation: I had taken down the scaffolding before the workers started to work.

  2. Elle était fière d’avoir décoffré le mur de soutènement toute seule.
    Translation: She was proud of having removed the formwork of the retaining wall all by herself.

  3. Nous avions décoffré la dalle de béton lorsque la pluie a commencé à tomber.
    Translation: We had removed the formwork from the concrete slab when the rain started to pour.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décoffré J’avais décoffré une partie du mur. I had removed a part of the wall.
tu tu avais décoffré Tu avais décoffré la porte principale. You had removed the main door.
il il avait décoffré Il avait décoffré le toit. He had removed the roof.
elle elle avait décoffré Elle avait décoffré les fenêtres. She had removed the windows.
on on avait décoffré On avait décoffré les cloisons. One had removed the partitions.
nous nous avions décoffré Nous avions décoffré les poutres. We had removed the beams.
vous vous aviez décoffré Vous aviez décoffré les murs porteurs. You had removed the load-bearing walls.
ils ils avaient décoffré Ils avaient décoffré les fondations. They had removed the foundations.
elles elles avaient décoffré Elles avaient décoffré la charpente. They had removed the frame.

Other Conjugations for Décoffrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décoffrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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