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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décambuter

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The English translation of the French verb décambuter is “to tumble”, “to take a tumble” or “to fall head over heels”. It is pronounced as [de-kɑ̃-by-te].

The word décambuter comes from the French words “dé-“, which means “down”, and “cabuter”, which means “to tumble”. It originated in the 18th century and is typically used in casual or colloquial language.

In everyday French, décambuter is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that had already happened in the past, but didn’t happen as expected. It can also express a hypothetical or uncertain situation in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais peur que tu décambutes dans les escaliers. (I was afraid that you would take a tumble down the stairs.)
  2. Il était important que nous ne décambutions pas pendant la présentation. (It was important that we didn’t fall head over heels during the presentation.)
  3. Elle avait peur qu’il décambutât en faisant du ski. (She was afraid that he would tumble while skiing.)

In all these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express a past action that could have happened in a different way, but didn’t. The use of décambuter adds a sense of unpredictability or danger to the actions described.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décambuté J’aurais aimé que je eusse décambuté. I wish I had walked a long time ago.
tu eusses décambuté J’aurais aimé que tu eusses décambuté. I wish you had walked a long time ago.
il eût décambuté J’aurais aimé qu’il eût décambuté. I wish he had walked a long time ago.
elle eût décambuté J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût décambuté. I wish she had walked a long time ago.
on eût décambuté J’aurais aimé qu’on eût décambuté. I wish one had walked a long time ago.
nous eussions décambuté J’aurais aimé que nous eussions décambuté. I wish we had walked a long time ago.
vous eussiez décambuté J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez décambuté. I wish you had walked a long time ago.
ils eussent décambuté J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent décambuté. I wish they had walked a long time ago.
elles eussent décambuté J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent décambuté. I wish they had walked a long time ago.

Other Conjugations for Décambuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décambuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décambuter – 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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