Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Introduction to the verb parler
The English translation of the French verb parler is “to speak” or “to talk”. It is pronounced as “par-lay”.
Parler comes from the Latin word “parabola”, which means “speech” or “conversation”. It entered the French language in the 12th century and has since become a fundamental verb in everyday French communication.
In the Plus-que-parfait tense, parler is used to express an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb avoir or être, followed by the past participle of parler.
Here are three simple examples of how parler is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:
- J’avais parlé à mon frère avant qu’il ne parte en voyage. (I had spoken to my brother before he left on his trip.)
- Tu étais allé à la réunion avant que je ne te parle. (You had gone to the meeting before I spoke to you.)
- Elle avait chanté la chanson avant que les autres musiciens ne commencent à jouer. (She had sung the song before the other musicians started playing.)
In these examples, the Plus-que-parfait tense is used to indicate that the action of parler (speaking/talking) occurred before the other actions (partir/leave, parler/speak, commencer/start). This tense is often used in storytelling or recounting past events.
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of parler
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais parlé | J’avais parlé avec mon ami. | I had spoken with my friend. |
tu | tu avais parlé | Tu avais parlé avec tes parents. | You had spoken with your parents. |
il | il avait parlé | Il avait parlé français. | He had spoken French. |
elle | elle avait parlé | Elle avait parlé avec sa sœur. | She had spoken with her sister. |
on | on avait parlé | On avait parlé de voyage. | One had spoken about travel. |
nous | nous avions parlé | Nous avions parlé de nos projets. | We had spoken about our plans. |
vous | vous aviez parlé | Vous aviez parlé au téléphone. | You had spoken on the phone. |
ils | ils avaient parlé | Ils avaient parlé de la météo. | They had spoken about the weather. |
elles | elles avaient parlé | Elles avaient parlé de leur travail. | They had spoken about their work. |
Other Conjugations for Parler.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parler
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Parler – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
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