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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb disculper

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The English translation of the French verb disculper is “to exonerate” or “to clear someone’s name.” The infinitive form of disculper is pronounced “dee-skewl-pay.”

The word disculper comes from the Latin word “disculpare,” which means “to free from blame or fault.” It is derived from the prefix “dis,” meaning “away” and the verb “culpa,” meaning “blame.”

In everyday French, disculper is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action or event that was completed before another past action or event.

Three simple examples of disculper in the Plus-que-parfait tense with English translations are:

  1. J’avais disculpé mon ami avant que la vérité ne soit révélée. (I had exonerated my friend before the truth was revealed.)
  2. Elle avait disculpé son fils malgré les preuves contre lui. (She had cleared her son’s name despite the evidence against him.)
  3. Nous avions disculpé l’accusé après avoir trouvé de nouvelles preuves. (We had cleared the accused after finding new evidence.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’étais disculpé Je m’étais disculpé auprès de mes amis. I had exonerated myself from my friends.
tu t’étais disculpé Tu t’étais disculpé auprès de la police. You had cleared yourself with the police.
il s’était disculpé Il s’était disculpé auprès de sa famille. He had cleared himself with his family.
elle s’était disculpée Elle s’était disculpée auprès de son patron. She had cleared herself with her boss.
on s’était disculpé On s’était disculpé auprès des témoins. One had cleared oneself with the witnesses.
nous nous étions disculpés Nous nous étions disculpés devant le juge. We had cleared ourselves in front of the judge.
vous vous étiez disculpé Vous vous étiez disculpés auprès des autorités. You had cleared yourself with the authorities.
ils s’étaient disculpés Ils s’étaient disculpés devant leurs collègues. They had cleared themselves in front of their colleagues.
elles s’étaient disculpées Elles s’étaient disculpées auprès de leurs amis. They had cleared themselves with their friends.

Other Conjugations for Disculper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb disculper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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