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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb discompter

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The English translation of the French verb discompter is “to discount” or “to deduct”. The infinitive form of discompter is pronounced as “dees-komptay”.

The word discompter comes from the Old French word “descompter” which means “to deduct” or “to subtract”. It has its roots in the Latin word “discomputare”, which is a combination of “dis” meaning “away” and “computare” meaning “to count”. In everyday French, discompter is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of discompter being used in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais déjà discompté les frais de livraison avant de passer la commande. (I had already deducted the delivery fees before placing the order.)

  2. Ils avaient discompté les heures supplémentaires de leur salaire mensuel. (They had deducted the overtime hours from their monthly salary.)

  3. Elle m’avait discompté le montant de la facture avant de l’envoyer au client. (She had discounted the amount on the invoice before sending it to the client.)

In all of these examples, the Plus-que-parfait tense is used to indicate that the action of discompter was completed before a specific event or time in the past. It is a useful verb to express past actions that have a direct impact on another event or action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais décompté J’avais décompté mes économies. I had discounted my savings.
tu tu avais décompté Tu avais décompté les articles. You had discounted the items.
il il avait décompté Il avait décompté le temps perdu. He had discounted the lost time.
elle elle avait décompté Elle avait décompté ses heures supplémentaires. She had discounted her overtime hours.
on on avait décompté On avait décompté les minutes restantes. One had discounted the remaining minutes.
nous nous avions décompté Nous avions décompté les jours de vacances. We had discounted the vacation days.
vous vous aviez décompté Vous aviez décompté les frais de voyage. You had discounted the travel expenses.
ils ils avaient décompté Ils avaient décompté les heures travaillées. They had discounted the hours worked.
elles elles avaient décompté Elles avaient décompté les jours de congé. They had discounted the days off.

Other Conjugations for Discompter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb discompter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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