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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affairer

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The English translation of the French verb affairer is “to occupy, to be busy with.” It is pronounced as “ah-fey-ruh”.

The origin of the verb affairer can be traced back to the Latin word “affari” which means “to talk about.” It is most often used in everyday French in the plus-que-parfait tense, also known as the past perfect tense.

In this tense, affairer is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. It is often used to indicate a past ongoing activity that had been interrupted by another past event. The tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of affairer.

Here are three simple examples of affairer in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais affairé toute la journée quand il est arrivé. (I had been busy all day when he arrived.)

  2. Elle avait affairé ses affaires avant de partir en vacances. (She had taken care of her business before going on vacation.)

  3. Nous avions affairé le projet depuis des mois avant qu’il soit finalement approuvé. (We had been working on the project for months before it was finally approved.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of affairer

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’étais affairé Je m’étais affairé à mes projets. I had busied myself with my projects.
tu t’étais affairé Tu t’étais affairé à ta tâche. You had busied yourself with your task.
il s’était affairé Il s’était affairé à son travail. He had busied himself with his work.
elle s’était affairée Elle s’était affairée à ses études. She had busied herself with her studies.
on s’était affairé On s’était affairé à la préparation. One had busied themselves with the preparation.
nous nous étions affairés Nous étions affairés à nos affaires. We had busied ourselves with our business.
vous vous étiez affairés Vous étiez affairés aux préparatifs. You had busied yourselves with the preparations.
ils s’étaient affairés Ils s’étaient affairés à la construction. They had busied themselves with the construction.
elles s’étaient affairées Elles s’étaient affairées aux achats. They had busied themselves with the shopping.

Other Conjugations for Affairer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affairer
   

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

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

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

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

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affairer     (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affairer

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

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Affairer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb affairer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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