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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décorner

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The English translation of the French verb décorner is “to dehorn.” It is pronounced as “day-kor-nay” in its infinitive form.

Décorner comes from the combination of the prefix “dé-” meaning “undo” or “remove” and the noun “corne” meaning “horn.” It literally translates to “undo horns” and is used to describe the action of removing the horns from an animal, usually through a surgical procedure.

In everyday French, décorner is most commonly used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense to express a past action or situation that was imagined or desired but did not actually occur. It is often used in conditional or hypothetical statements.

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

  1. J’aurais préféré que tu aies décorné les vaches avant qu’elles ne sortent dans le champ. (I would have preferred if you had dehorned the cows before they went out into the field.)

  2. Si j’avais suivi les instructions du vétérinaire, le taureau n’aurait pas décorné le cheval. (If I had followed the veterinarian’s instructions, the bull would not have dehorned the horse.)

  3. Nous aurions aimé que les chèvres aient été décornées avant la fermeture de la ferme. (We would have liked if the goats had been dehorned before the farm closed.)

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décorner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décorner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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