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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb décreuser

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The English translation of décreuser is “to dig deeper” or “to excavate.” It is pronounced “day-kruh-zuh.”

The language origin of décreuser can be broken down into two parts: “dé-” which means “down” and “creuser” which means “to dig.” Together, they form the idea of digging deeper or excavating. In everyday French, décreuser is most often used in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to express a past action that is before another past action. It is commonly used to express a hypothetical or uncertain situation that occurred before another event in the past.

Here are three simple examples of décreuser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais peur que tu aies décreusé trop profondément dans le jardin avant que je n’arrive. (I was afraid that you had dug too deep in the garden before I arrived.)
  2. Il était possible que le chien ait décreusé un trou dans le jardin avant que nous ne le remarquions. (It was possible that the dog had dug a hole in the garden before we noticed it.)
  3. Elle craignait que les ouvriers n’aient décreusé trop près de la fondation de la maison. (She was worried that the workers had dug too close to the foundation of the house.)

In each of these examples, the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense is used to express an action that occurred before another event in the past. In the first sentence, the speaker was afraid that the person had dug too deep in the garden before they arrived. In the second sentence, it was possible that the dog had dug a hole in the garden before anyone noticed. And in the third sentence, the speaker was worried that the workers had dug too close to the foundation of the house before they noticed. In all of these cases, the use of décreuser in the Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait tense conveys the idea of a past action that is before another past action and is often used to express uncertainty or possibility.

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

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

Other Conjugations for Décreuser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb décreuser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Décreuser – 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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