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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb affamer

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The English translation of the French verb affamer is “to starve.” It is pronounced as “ah-fah-may” in the infinitive form.

The word affamer comes from the Latin verb “famēscere,” meaning “to become hungry.” It entered the French language in the 12th century. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of how affamer is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Ils avaient affamé les enfants avant de partir en voyage.
    (They had starved the children before leaving on their trip.)

  2. J’avais été affamé toute la journée avant de trouver de la nourriture.
    (I had been starving all day before finding food.)

  3. Nous avions affamé les oiseaux en oubliant de remplir le mangeoire.
    (We had starved the birds by forgetting to fill the feeder.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais affamé J’avais affamé le chat errant. I had starved the stray cat.
tu tu avais affamé Tu avais affamé les enfants. You had starved the children.
il il avait affamé Il avait affamé les prisonniers. He had starved the prisoners.
elle elle avait affamé Elle avait affamé les oiseaux. She had starved the birds.
on on avait affamé On avait affamé le chien. One had starved the dog.
nous nous avions affamé Nous avions affamé les animaux. We had starved the animals.
vous vous aviez affamé Vous aviez affamé les gens. You had starved the people.
ils ils avaient affamé Ils avaient affamé les pauvres. They had starved the poor.
elles elles avaient affamé Elles avaient affamé les prisonnières. They had starved the prisoners (feminine).

Other Conjugations for Affamer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb affamer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Affamer – 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 affamer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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