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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décréditer

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The English translation of the French verb décréditer is “to discredit” or “to disprove.” It is pronounced like “day-kreh-dee-tay.”

Décréditer comes from the Latin word “discredere,” meaning “to disbelieve.” Its use in everyday French is primarily in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Past Perfect) tense, which is used to express an action that occurred before another past action or event.

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

  1. J’aurais aimé que tu aies décrédité cette rumeur avant qu’elle ne se propage. (I wish you had discredited this rumor before it spread.)

  2. Il avait peur que ses paroles ne décréditent son image publique. (He was afraid that his words would discredit his public image.)

  3. Nous aurions préféré que vous n’ayez pas décrédité notre travail en le critiquant sans raison. (We would have preferred if you hadn’t discredited our work by criticizing it without reason.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Example Usage English Translation
je eusse décrédité Il est possible que je eusse décrédité ma réputation. It’s possible that I had discredited my reputation.
tu eusses décrédité Il est possible que tu eusses décrédité ta réputation. It’s possible that you had discredited your reputation.
il eût décrédité Il est possible qu’il eût décrédité sa réputation. It’s possible that he had discredited his reputation.
elle eût décrédité Il est possible qu’elle eût décrédité sa réputation. It’s possible that she had discredited her reputation.
on eût décrédité Il est possible qu’on eût décrédité sa réputation. It’s possible that one had discredited their reputation.
nous eussions décrédité Il est possible que nous eussions décrédité notre réputation. It’s possible that we had discredited our reputation.
vous eussiez décrédité Il est possible que vous eussiez décrédité votre réputation. It’s possible that you had discredited your reputation.
ils eussent décrédité Il est possible qu’ils eussent décrédité leur réputation. It’s possible that they had discredited their reputation.
elles eussent décrédité Il est possible qu’elles eussent décrédité leur réputation. It’s possible that they had discredited their reputation.

Other Conjugations for Décréditer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décréditer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Décréditer – 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.

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