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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décacheter

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The English translation of the French verb décacheter is “to unseal/to open (an envelope, a package, etc.)”. It is pronounced as “day-ka-shet-ay”.

The word décacheter is derived from the prefix “de-” which indicates removal or separation, and “cacheter” which means “to seal”. In everyday French, décacheter is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense which expresses a past hypothetical action or event. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the subjonctif imparfait tense and adding the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of décacheter in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais peur que tu aies décacheté la lettre avant que je ne rentre à la maison. (I was afraid that you had opened the letter before I came home.)
  2. Il était possible qu’il eût décacheté le colis sans mon autorisation. (It was possible that he had opened the package without my permission.)
  3. Nous avions besoin qu’ils eussent décacheté les documents pour que nous puissions avancer dans notre projet. (We needed them to have unsealed the documents so that we could make progress in our project.)

In these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past hypothetical action that was completed before another past action or event. It is often used in sentences that express doubt, fear, or uncertainty.

Table of the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of décacheter

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décacheté J’étais contente que je eusse décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that I had opened this letter.
tu eusses décacheté J’étais contente que tu eusses décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that you had opened this letter.
il eût décacheté J’étais contente qu’il eût décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that he had opened this letter.
elle eût décacheté J’étais contente qu’elle eût décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that she had opened this letter.
on eût décacheté J’étais contente qu’on eût décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that one had opened this letter.
nous eussions décacheté J’étais contente que nous eussions décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that we had opened this letter.
vous eussiez décacheté J’étais contente que vous eussiez décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that you had opened this letter.
ils eussent décacheté J’étais contente qu’ils eussent décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that they had opened this letter.
elles eussent décacheté J’étais contente qu’elles eussent décacheté cette lettre. I was glad that they had opened this letter.

Other Conjugations for Décacheter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décacheter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décacheter
    (this article)

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Décacheter – About the French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense

The French Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, also known as the Pluperfect Subjunctive, is a verb tense used to express actions or states that occurred before another action in the past, and it’s used in situations where the indicative mood is in the past subjunctive or conditional mood.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation

To form the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait, you start with the imperfect subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
For “avoir” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “avoir” (e.g., j’eusse, tu eusses, il/elle eût, nous eussions, vous eussiez, ils/elles eussent). Add the past participle of the main verb. 
For “être” verbs: Take the imperfect subjunctive form of “être” (e.g., je fusse, tu fusses, il/elle fût, nous fussions, vous fussiez, ils/elles fussent). Add the past participle of the main verb.

Common Everyday Usage Patterns

Hypothetical Situations

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is often used to express hypothetical or unreal actions that occurred before another past action.
For example: J’aurais aimé que tu aies fini ton travail avant que je sois arrivé. (I would have liked for you to have finished your work before I arrived.) 

Reported Speech

In reported speech, you may use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait to convey what someone said or thought in the past. 
For example: Il m’a dit qu’il avait peur que je n’aie pas compris. (He told me that he was afraid that I hadn’t understood.) 

Doubt, Wishes, and Emotions

This tense can also be used to express doubt, wishes, and emotions about past actions. 
For example: Je doutais qu’il eût dit la vérité. (I doubted that he had told the truth.) 
J’aurais souhaité que tu fusses venu. (I would have wished for you to have come.)

Interactions with Other Tenses

Present Subjunctive

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to describe past actions when the main verb is in the present subjunctive. 
For example: “Il faut que j’aie fini mon travail avant que tu partes.” (I must have finished my work before you leave.) 

Imperfect Subjunctive

It’s common to use the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait with the imperfect subjunctive in complex sentences. 
For example: “Il m’avait dit qu’il fût rentré avant la fin de la journée.” (He had told me that he had returned before the end of the day.) 

Conditional

When the main verb is in the conditional mood, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait can be used to express past unreal conditions. 
For example: “Si j’avais su, j’aurais voulu que tu aies réussi.” (If I had known, I would have wanted you to have succeeded.)

Summary

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait is a complex tense used to convey nuanced meanings in French. While its usage may seem intricate, it becomes more intuitive with practice and exposure to the language. It’s important to understand the context in which it’s used, as it often conveys subtleties of time, conditionality, and emotion in French sentences.

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