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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décoiffer

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The English translation of décoiffer is “to dishevel” or “to mess up one’s hair.” It is pronounced as “day-kwah-fye.”

The origin of the word décoiffer comes from the prefix “dé-” meaning “down” and the word “coiffe” meaning “head covering” or “hair.” It was first used in the French language in the 13th century.

In everyday French, décoiffer is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is a hypothetical or unreal past tense. It is used to express something that could have happened but did not.

Examples:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu ne décoiffes pas mes cheveux avant la soirée. (I wish you hadn’t messed up my hair before the party.)
  2. Si elle n’avait pas porté ce chapeau, elle n’aurait pas eu à se décoiffer constamment. (If she hadn’t worn that hat, she wouldn’t have had to constantly dishevel her hair.)
  3. Je regrette que nous ayons décoiffé les fleurs en jouant au ballon dans le jardin. (I regret that we messed up the flowers while playing ball in the garden.)

In all of these examples, the verb décoiffer is conjugated in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or unreal action in the past.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décoiffer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décoiffer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décoiffer – 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 décoiffer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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