Deciderat

Deciderat is a Latin verb form: the pluperfect active indicative, third person singular, of the verb decido, decidere, to decide. It translates as "he had decided" or "she had decided," and it is used to place a decision in a past time frame relative to another past event.

Grammatical notes: The pluperfect active is formed from the perfect stem decid- plus the imperfect of esse (erat), yielding deciderat for the third person singular. This form, like other pluperfects, signals an action that had been completed before another past moment.

Conjugation context: The verb decidere belongs to the third conjugation. For reference, the basic paradigm includes:

- Present: decido, decidis, decidit, decidimus, deciditis, decidunt

- Imperfect: decidebam, decidebas, decidebat, decidebamus, decidebatis, decidebant

- Perfect: decidi, decidisti, decidit, decidimus, decidistis, decidērunt

- Pluperfect: decideram, decideras, deciderat, decideramus, decideratis, deciderant

Usage: Deciderat is used to describe a decision that had been made prior to another past action or moment. It commonly appears in narrative or subordinate clauses to establish a timeline in the past.

Example: Antequam hostes fugissent, Marcus iam deciderat quid faceret. Translation: "Before the enemies had fled, Marcus had already decided what he would do." The form exemplifies the pluperfect’s function of conveying anteriority in the past.

Related topics: decidere, Latin verb tenses, pluperfect active.