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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb alarmer

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The English translation of the French verb alarmer is “to alarm.” It is pronounced as “a-la-may.”

The word “alarmer” comes from the Old French word “alemar,” which means “to give warning” or “to sound an alarm.” It is derived from the Latin word “ad-” meaning “to” and “armare” meaning “to arm.” In everyday French, “alarmer” is most often used to describe the act of causing fear or unease, or to warn or notify someone of a potential danger.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “alarmer” is conjugated as “avais alarmé” for the first person singular (I had alarmed), “avais alarmé” for the second person singular (you had alarmed), “avait alarmé” for the third person singular (he/she/it had alarmed), “avions alarmé” for the first person plural (we had alarmed), “aviez alarmé” for the second person plural (you had alarmed), and “avaient alarmé” for the third person plural (they had alarmed).

Here are three simple examples of “alarmer” in Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais alarmé mes voisins en criant au feu. (I had alarmed my neighbors by shouting “fire!”)

  2. Tu avais alarmé ta famille en ne rentrant pas à la maison à l’heure. (You had alarmed your family by not coming home on time.)

  3. Ils avaient alarmé les autorités en signalant une menace terroriste. (They had alarmed the authorities by reporting a terrorist threat.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais alarmé J’avais alarmé mes voisins. I had alarmed my neighbors.
tu tu avais alarmé Tu avais alarmé les autorités. You had alarmed the authorities.
il il avait alarmé Il avait alarmé la ville entière. He had alarmed the whole city.
elle elle avait alarmé Elle avait alarmé le quartier. She had alarmed the neighborhood.
on on avait alarmé On avait alarmé les habitants. One had alarmed the residents.
nous nous avions alarmé Nous avions alarmé les pompiers. We had alarmed the firefighters.
vous vous aviez alarmé Vous aviez alarmé la police. You had alarmed the police.
ils ils avaient alarmé Ils avaient alarmé les voisins. They had alarmed the neighbors.
elles elles avaient alarmé Elles avaient alarmé leurs parents. They had alarmed their parents.

Other Conjugations for Alarmer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb alarmer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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