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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb découler

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The English translation of the French verb découler is “to result from” or “to stem from.” It is pronounced “day-koo-lay.”

The word découler comes from the Latin word “decollare,” meaning “to decapitate” or “to cut off.” In everyday French, this verb is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses a past action that is hypothetical or uncertain.

Here are three examples of découler being used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Il a peur de perdre son emploi, car cela aurait découler de ses erreurs passées. (He is afraid of losing his job, as it would have resulted from his past mistakes.)

  2. Si elle avait étudié plus dur, elle aurait obtenu de meilleures notes, et cela aurait découler sur une meilleure carrière. (If she had studied harder, she would have gotten better grades, and that would have led to a better career.)

  3. J’aurais aimé qu’il m’en parle plus tôt, car cela aurait découler sur une meilleure résolution du problème. (I wish he had told me earlier, as that would have resulted in a better resolution of the problem.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse découlé Il était temps que je eusse découlé de cette situation. It was time for me to have stemmed from this situation.
tu eusses découlé Il était temps que tu eusses découlé de cette situation. It was time for you to have stemmed from this situation.
il eût découlé Il était temps qu’il eût découlé de cette situation. It was time for him to have stemmed from this situation.
elle eût découlé Il était temps qu’elle eût découlé de cette situation. It was time for her to have stemmed from this situation.
on eût découlé Il était temps qu’on eût découlé de cette situation. It was time for one to have stemmed from this situation.
nous eussions découlé Il était temps que nous eussions découlé de cette situation. It was time for us to have stemmed from this situation.
vous eussiez découlé Il était temps que vous eussiez découlé de cette situation. It was time for you to have stemmed from this situation.
ils eussent découlé Il était temps qu’ils eussent découlé de cette situation. It was time for them to have stemmed from this situation.
elles eussent découlé Il était temps qu’elles eussent découlé de cette situation. It was time for them to have stemmed from this situation.

Other Conjugations for Découler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb découler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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