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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décapsuler

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The English translation of décapsuler is “to uncork” or “to open a bottle”. It is pronounced as “day-kap-suh-lay”.

The language origin of décapsuler comes from the French word “capsule”, which refers to the metal or plastic covering on the cork of a bottle. It is most often used in everyday French to talk about opening a bottle, whether it be a wine bottle, a soda bottle, or any other type of bottled drink.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, décapsuler is used to express a past possibility or hypothetical action that did not happen. It is formed by using the past subjunctive form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of décapsuler.

Example 1: J’aurais décapsulé la bouteille de vin si j’avais trouvé le tire-bouchon. (I would have uncorked the bottle of wine if I had found the corkscrew.)
Example 2: Il aurait décapsulé la bouteille d’eau si elle avait été scellée. (He would have opened the bottle of water if it had been sealed.)
Example 3: Nous serions décapsulés la bouteille de champagne si nous avions gagné à la loterie. (We would have uncorked the bottle of champagne if we had won the lottery.)

English translations:
Example 1: I would have uncorked the bottle of wine if I had found the corkscrew.
Example 2: He would have opened the bottle of water if it had been sealed.
Example 3: We would have uncorked the bottle of champagne if we had won the lottery.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décapsulé Il était temps que je eusse décapsulé la bouteille. It was time for me to have opened the bottle.
tu eusses décapsulé Si tu m’avais écouté, tu eusses décapsulé la bouteille plus tôt. If you had listened to me, you would have opened the bottle sooner.
il eût décapsulé Il avait l’intention d’y aller avant que je eût décapsulé la bouteille. He was planning to go there before I opened the bottle.
elle eût décapsulé J’aurais préféré qu’elle eût décapsulé la bouteille elle-même. I would have preferred if she had opened the bottle herself.
on eût décapsulé Il aurait été plus efficace qu’on eût décapsulé la bouteille à deux. It would have been more efficient if we had opened the bottle together.
nous eussions décapsulé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions décapsulé la bouteille plus tôt. I wish we had opened the bottle sooner.
vous eussiez décapsulé Nous aurions pu partager la bouteille si vous eussiez décapsulé la bouteille. We could have shared the bottle if you had opened it.
ils eussent décapsulé Ils auraient pu célébrer l’événement s’ils eussent décapsulé la bouteille plus tôt. They could have celebrated the event if they had opened the bottle sooner.
elles eussent décapsulé Elles auraient pu s’amuser si elles eussent décapsulé la bouteille. They could have had fun if they had opened the bottle.

Other Conjugations for Décapsuler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décapsuler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décapsuler – 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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