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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb découper

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The English translation of the French verb découper is “to cut,” and it is pronounced as “day-koo-pay.”

The word découper comes from the Old French word “descoper,” meaning “to cut,” and ultimately from the Latin word “discooperire.” In everyday French, découper is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais découpé les légumes avant que mon ami arrive à la maison. (I had cut the vegetables before my friend arrived at the house.)
  2. Nous avions déjà découpé la tarte quand les invités sont arrivés. (We had already cut the pie when the guests arrived.)
  3. Avant de partir en voyage, elle avait découpé toutes les photos de son album de famille. (Before leaving on the trip, she had cut out all the photos from her family album.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais découpé J’avais découpé le papier. I had cut the paper.
tu tu avais découpé Tu avais découpé la photo. You had cut the photo.
il il avait découpé Il avait découpé la viande. He had cut the meat.
elle elle avait découpé Elle avait découpé le tissu. She had cut the fabric.
on on avait découpé On avait découpé la pâte. One had cut the dough.
nous nous avions découpé Nous avions découpé le bois. We had cut the wood.
vous vous aviez découpé Vous aviez découpé le carton. You had cut the cardboard.
ils ils avaient découpé Ils avaient découpé le métal. They had cut the metal.
elles elles avaient découpé Elles avaient découpé le papier. They had cut the paper.

Other Conjugations for Découper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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