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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontenancer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of décontenancer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb décontenancer is “to disconcert” or “to unsettle.” It is pronounced as “day-con-tehn-ahn-say.”

Décontenancer is derived from the French word “contenance,” meaning “demeanor” or “facial expression,” and the prefix “de-,” which denotes a reversal or negation. So, décontenancer literally means “to remove one’s composure” or “to throw off one’s demeanor.”

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

Here are three simple examples of décontenancer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Quand j’ai vu les résultats de l’examen, j’avais été totalement décontenancé. (When I saw the exam results, I had been completely unsettled.)
  2. Elle avait été décontenancée par les remarques désobligeantes de son patron. (She had been disconcerted by her boss’s disparaging remarks.)
  3. Les enfants avaient été décontenancés par la nouvelle que leur chien avait disparu. (The children had been unsettled by the news that their dog had gone missing.)

In these examples, décontenancer is used to express a feeling of being thrown off balance or disturbed by something. It is often used to describe a sudden and unexpected event or situation that causes confusion or discomfort.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décontenancé J’avais décontenancé mes parents. I had disconcerted my parents.
tu tu avais décontenancé Tu avais décontenancé tes amis. You had disconcerted your friends.
il il avait décontenancé Il avait décontenancé ses collègues. He had disconcerted his colleagues.
elle elle avait décontenancé Elle avait décontenancé sa famille. She had disconcerted her family.
on on avait décontenancé On avait décontenancé les étudiants. One had disconcerted the students.
nous nous avions décontenancé Nous avions décontenancé les invités. We had disconcerted the guests.
vous vous aviez décontenancé Vous aviez décontenancé les clients. You had disconcerted the clients.
ils ils avaient décontenancé Ils avaient décontenancé les concurrents. They had disconcerted the competitors.
elles elles avaient décontenancé Elles avaient décontenancé les voisins. They had disconcerted the neighbors.

Other Conjugations for Décontenancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontenancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the décontenancer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts