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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb avoisiner

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The English translation of the French verb avoisiner is “to be close to” or “to be near.” It is pronounced as “ah-vwah-zeen-ay.”

The language origin of avoisiner can be traced back to the Latin word “ad-” meaning “near” and “vicinare” meaning “to approach.” In modern French, it is a regular -er verb and is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the English past perfect tense.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, avoisiner is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action took place. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais avoisiné la ville avant de m’installer ici.
    I had been close to the city before settling down here.

  2. Ils avaient avoisiné la maison depuis longtemps avant que je ne les rencontre.
    They had been near the house for a long time before I met them.

  3. Vous aviez avoisiné le parc avant qu’il ne commence à pleuvoir.
    You had been near the park before it started raining.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais avoisiné J’avais avoisiné le quartier. I had lived near the neighborhood.
tu tu avais avoisiné Tu avais avoisiné la ville. You had lived near the city.
il il avait avoisiné Il avait avoisiné la montagne. He had lived near the mountain.
elle elle avait avoisiné Elle avait avoisiné le lac. She had lived near the lake.
on on avait avoisiné On avait avoisiné la forêt. One had lived near the forest.
nous nous avions avoisiné Nous avions avoisiné le parc. We had lived near the park.
vous vous aviez avoisiné Vous aviez avoisiné la plage. You had lived near the beach.
ils ils avaient avoisiné Ils avaient avoisiné la rivière. They had lived near the river.
elles elles avaient avoisiné Elles avaient avoisiné le quartier. They had lived near the neighborhood.

Other Conjugations for Avoisiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb avoisiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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