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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décintrer

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of décintrer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb décintrer is “to loosen or unbuckle”, and the infinitive form is pronounced as “day-sahn-tray”.

The word décintrer comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-“, which indicates reversal or removal, and the verb “cintrer”, which means to bend or shape. It is most commonly used to refer to the action of loosening or unfastening something that has been previously tightened or fastened.

In everyday French, décintrer is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a hypothetical or unreal action that occurred in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Subjonctif Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of décintrer.

Here are three examples of décintrer used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Je regrettais que tu aies décintré ton pantalon avant la cérémonie. (I regretted that you had loosened your pants before the ceremony.)
  2. Il fallait que nous eussions décintré la ceinture pour pouvoir retirer la robe. (We needed to have unfastened the belt in order to remove the dress.)
  3. J’espérais que vous fussiez arrivés avant que j’aie décintré la cargaison. (I was hoping that you had arrived before I had loosened the cargo.)

Overall, décintrer is a versatile verb that can be used in a variety of contexts to express the action of unbuckling or loosening something. It is also commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to convey an unreal or hypothetical past action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décintré J’aurais aimé que je eusse décintré. I wish I had taken off my belt.
tu eusses décintré J’aurais aimé que tu eusses décintré. I wish you had taken off your belt.
il eût décintré J’aurais aimé qu’il eût décintré. I wish he had taken off his belt.
elle eût décintré J’aurais aimé qu’elle eût décintré. I wish she had taken off her belt.
on eût décintré J’aurais aimé qu’on eût décintré. I wish one had taken off one’s belt.
nous eussions décintré J’aurais aimé que nous eussions décintré. I wish we had taken off our belts.
vous eussiez décintré J’aurais aimé que vous eussiez décintré. I wish you had taken off y

Other Conjugations for Décintrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décintrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the décintrer Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

Décintrer – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb décintrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts