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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décharner

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The English translation of the French verb décharner is “to disinter” or “to unearth”. It is pronounced as “day-shar-nay” in its infinitive form.

Décharner comes from the Old French word “descharnier” which means “to remove or dig up from the ground”. It is derived from the Latin word “discarnare” which means “to remove the flesh from”. In everyday French, décharner is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense.

The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express an action that has happened before another past action in the subjunctive mood. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imperfect Subjunctive, followed by the past participle of the verb.

Examples:

  1. Il fallait que j’eusse décharné le corps avant de le transporter à la morgue.
    English translation: I had to disinter the body before transporting it to the morgue.

  2. Elle ne croyait pas que les scientifiques eussent décharné les ossements pour les étudier.
    English translation: She didn’t believe that the scientists had unearthed the bones to study them.

  3. Nous étions heureux que le cimetière eût été décharné avant la célébration de la fête des morts.
    English translation: We were happy that the cemetery had been dug up before the celebration of the Day of the Dead.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décharner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décharner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décharner – 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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The Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of déconditionner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required).