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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arguer

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The English translation of the French verb arguer is “to argue” or “to claim.” It is pronounced “ar-gew-ay.”

The word arguer comes from the Old French word “arguier,” which means “to accuse, to dispute.” It ultimately comes from the Latin word “arguere,” which means “to prove, to argue, to accuse.”

In everyday French, arguer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that occurred before another action in the past.

Here are three examples of how arguer is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais argué qu’il était innocent, mais personne ne m’avait cru.
    Translation: I had argued that he was innocent, but nobody believed me.

  2. Elle avait argué qu’elle ne pouvait pas venir parce qu’elle était malade.
    Translation: She had claimed that she couldn’t come because she was sick.

  3. Ils avaient argué que c’était leur droit d’exprimer leur opinion librement.
    Translation: They had argued that it was their right to express their opinion freely.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais argué J’avais argué avec passion. I had argued passionately.
tu tu avais argué Tu avais argué avec conviction. You had argued with conviction.
il il avait argué Il avait argué avec force. He had argued forcefully.
elle elle avait argué Elle avait argué avec éloquence. She had argued eloquently.
on on avait argué On avait argué avec assurance. One had argued confidently.
nous nous avions argué Nous avions argué avec véhémence. We had argued vehemently.
vous vous aviez argué Vous aviez argué avec ferveur. You had argued fervently.
ils ils avaient argué Ils avaient argué avec persuasion. They had argued persuasively.
elles elles avaient argué Elles avaient argué avec habileté. They had argued skillfully.

Other Conjugations for Arguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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