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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décerveler

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The English translation of the French verb décerveler is “to brainwash.” It is pronounced as “day-ser-vuh-lay.”

The word décerveler comes from the French prefix “dé,” meaning “to remove,” and the word “cerveau,” meaning “brain.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of manipulating someone’s thoughts or beliefs, often in a negative or coercive manner.

In the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, décerveler is used to express a past action that was completed before another past action. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of décerveler.

Here are 3 simple examples of décerveler used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais décervelé mon frère avant qu’il ne parte pour la guerre. (I had brainwashed my brother before he left for the war.)

  2. Elle n’avait pas réalisé qu’elle avait été décervelée par le gourou. (She had not realized that she had been brainwashed by the guru.)

  3. Ils avaient tous été décervelés par les idées extrémistes du parti politique. (They had all been brainwashed by the extremist ideas of the political party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décervelé J’aurais aimé que je eusse décervelé. I wish I had scrambled someone’s brains.
tu eusses décervelé J’aurais aimé que tu eusses décervelé. I wish you had scrambled someone’s brains.
il eût décervelé J’aurais aimé qu’il eût décervelé. I wish he had scrambled someone’s brains.
elle eût décervelé J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût décervelé. I wish she had scrambled someone’s brains.
on eût décervelé J’aurais aimé qu’on eût décervelé. I wish one had scrambled someone’s brains.
nous eussions décervelé J’aurais aimé que nous eussions décervelé. I wish we had scrambled someone’s brains.
vous eussiez décervelé J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez décervelé. I wish you had scrambled someone’s brains.
ils eussent décervelé J’aurais aimé qu’ils eussent décervelé. I wish they had scrambled someone’s brains.
elles eussent décervelé J’aurais aimé qu’elles eussent décervelé. I wish they had scrambled someone’s brains.

Other Conjugations for Décerveler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décerveler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décerveler – 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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