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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb arraisonner

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The English translation of the French verb arraisonner is “to question/interrogate/accost”. It is pronounced as “ah-ray-zon-ay”.

“Arraisonner” comes from the old French word “raison”, meaning “reason”, and the prefix “a-“, indicating a motion towards or action upon something. In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about a completed action in the past that happened before another past action.

Here are three examples of using “arraisonner” in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Les policiers les avaient arraisonnes à leur arrivée à la frontière. (The police had questioned them upon their arrival at the border.)

  2. J’avais été arraisonné par le gérant du magasin pour vol à l’étalage. (I had been accosted by the store manager for shoplifting.)

  3. Ils s’étaient fait arraisonner par le douanier pour des documents manquants. (They had been interrogated by the customs officer for missing documents.)

The English translations above are just one possible way to translate these sentences. Depending on the context, “arraisonner” could also be translated as “to stop and question”, “to challenge”, or “to accost and question”. This verb is often used in legal and police contexts, but can also be used in informal settings to convey a sense of being questioned or interrogated.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais arraisoné J’avais arraisoné le suspect. I had interrogated the suspect.
tu tu avais arraisoné Tu avais arraisoné le témoin. You had interrogated the witness.
il il avait arraisoné Il avait arraisoné le coupable. He had interrogated the culprit.
elle elle avait arraisoné Elle avait arraisoné l’accusé. She had interrogated the accused.
on on avait arraisoné On avait arraisoné le suspect. One had interrogated the suspect.
nous nous avions arraisoné Nous avions arraisoné le malfaiteur. We had interrogated the criminal.
vous vous aviez arraisoné Vous aviez arraisoné le témoin. You had interrogated the witness.
ils ils avaient arraisoné Ils avaient arraisoné les suspects. They had interrogated the suspects.
elles elles avaient arraisoné Elles avaient arraisoné les témoins. They had interrogated the witnesses.

Other Conjugations for Arraisonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb arraisonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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