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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décrépiter

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The English translation of the French verb décrépiter is “to fall apart” or “to crumble.” It is pronounced as [de-krey-pee-tey].

Décrépiter comes from the Latin word “crepitare,” meaning “to make a cracking sound,” which later evolved into the Old French word “crepiter” meaning “to break into small pieces.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe something that is falling apart or breaking into pieces, both literally and figuratively.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, décrépiter is used to describe an action that had already taken place in the past before another past action. For example:

  1. J’avais décrépi les vieux murs de la maison avant de les repeindre. (I had crumbled the old walls of the house before repainting them.)

  2. Il avait décrépi sous la pression de ses dettes. (He had fallen apart under the pressure of his debts.)

  3. Nous avions décrépi notre amitié depuis longtemps avant de nous retrouver. (We had crumbled our friendship long before we met again.)

In these examples, décrépiter is used in the past tense to describe an action that had already occurred before another event. In each case, it emphasizes the idea of something falling apart or breaking down in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décrépité J’avais décrépité la vieille maison. I had decrepit the old house.
tu tu avais décrépité Tu avais décrépité la porte. You had decrepit the door.
il il avait décrépité Il avait décrépité le mur. He had decrepit the wall.
elle elle avait décrépité Elle avait décrépité la chaise. She had decrepit the chair.
on on avait décrépité On avait décrépité la table. One had decrepit the table.
nous nous avions décrépité Nous avions décrépité l’escalier. We had decrepit the stairs.
vous vous aviez décrépité Vous aviez décrépité le toit. You had decrepit the roof.
ils ils avaient décrépité Ils avaient décrépité les murs. They had decrepit the walls.
elles elles avaient décrépité Elles avaient décrépité les fenêtres. They had decrepit the windows.

Other Conjugations for Décrépiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décrépiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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