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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décolleter

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The English translation of the French verb décolleter is “to wear a low-cut neckline.” It is pronounced as “dey-koh-le-tey.”

Décolleter is derived from the French word “col,” meaning “collar,” and the prefix “dé,” which indicates removal or separation. It refers to the act of revealing or exposing the neck or décolletage by wearing clothing with a low-cut neckline.

In everyday French, décolleter is often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a hypothetical or uncertain 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 décolleter.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies décolleté ta robe pour la soirée. (I would have liked it if you had worn a low-cut neckline for the evening.)

  2. Il fallait que j’aie décolleté mon chemisier pour être à l’aise dans cette chaleur. (I needed to have worn a low-cut blouse to be comfortable in this heat.)

  3. Elle aurait préféré que nous ayons décolleté nos costumes pour le bal masqué. (She would have preferred it if we had worn low-cut costumes for the masquerade ball.)

Overall, décolleter is used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action that may or may not have actually happened, or to convey a wish or preference in a past situation.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décolleter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décolleter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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