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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb apeurer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of apeurer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb apeurer is “to scare” or “to frighten.” It is pronounced as “ah-peuh-ray.”

The origin of the word apeurer can be traced back to the Latin verb “paene,” which means “almost” or “nearly.” In Old French, this evolved into “apene,” meaning “to cause fear.” Eventually, it became the modern French word “apeurer.”

In everyday French, apeurer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. Apeurer can be conjugated in this tense as follows:

J’avais apeuré (I had scared)
Tu avais apeuré (You had scared)
Il/Elle avait apeuré (He/She had scared)
Nous avions apeuré (We had scared)
Vous aviez apeuré (You had scared)
Ils/Elles avaient apeuré (They had scared)

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

  1. J’avais apeuré mon frère avant de partir. (I had scared my brother before leaving.)
  2. Tu avais apeuré les enfants avec tes histoires effrayantes. (You had scared the children with your scary stories.)
  3. Elle avait apeuré le chat en criant. (She had scared the cat by screaming.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais apeuré J’avais apeuré le chien. I had scared the dog.
tu tu avais apeuré Tu avais apeuré ton ami. You had scared your friend.
il il avait apeuré Il avait apeuré la foule. He had frightened the crowd.
elle elle avait apeuré Elle avait apeuré son bébé. She had frightened her baby.
on on avait apeuré On avait apeuré les enfants. One had scared the children.
nous nous avions apeuré Nous avions apeuré le voisin. We had scared the neighbor.
vous vous aviez apeuré Vous aviez apeuré les passagers. You had frightened the passengers.
ils ils avaient apeuré Ils avaient apeuré les animaux. They had scared the animals.
elles elles avaient apeuré Elles avaient apeuré les oiseaux. They had frightened the birds.

Other Conjugations for Apeurer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb apeurer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the apeurer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply