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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décontenancer

Get the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) tense conjugation of décontenancer. 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 décontenancer is “to disconcert” or “to unsettle.” The infinitive form, décontenancer, is pronounced “day-kohn-tuhn-ahn-say.”

The language origin of décontenancer can be traced back to the Old French word “contenance,” which means “demeanor” or “appearance.” The prefix “dé” adds a negative or opposite meaning, so décontenancer literally means “to make someone lose their composure or appearance.”

In everyday French, décontenancer is most often used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past subjunctive tense. This tense is used to express a hypothetical or uncertain action that took place before another past action. It is often used in complex sentences with multiple clauses.

Here are three examples of décontenancer used in the subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Je craignais que son attitude ne me décontenance. (I was afraid that his attitude would disconcert me.)

  2. Il avait peur que ses examens précédents ne l’aient décontenancé pour le prochain. (He was afraid that his previous exams had unsettled him for the next one.)

  3. Après qu’ils se soient disputés, il était clair que sa confiance en elle était décontenancée. (After they had argued, it was clear that his confidence in her was unsettled.)

In all of these examples, décontenancer is used to express a feeling of unease or loss of composure caused by a previous action or event. The subjonctif plus-que-parfait tense emphasizes the uncertainty or hypothetical nature of the action.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décontenancer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontenancer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décontenancer
    (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 décontenancer Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts