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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb baver

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The English translation of the French verb baver is “to drool” or “to slobber.” The infinitive form, baver, is pronounced as “bah-veh.”

The language origin of baver comes from the Old French word “bave,” meaning “saliva” or “to drool.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe someone or something that is drooling excessively or in a negative or derogatory manner.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, baver is used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais bavé en regardant le gâteau au chocolat, il avait l’air si délicieux. (I had drooled while looking at the chocolate cake, it looked so delicious.)

  2. Tu avais bavé sur ton pull blanc, maintenant il est tout taché. (You had drooled on your white sweater, now it’s all stained.)

  3. Ils avaient bavé sur le film, disant qu’il était ennuyeux et mal réalisé. (They had slobbered over the movie, saying it was boring and poorly made.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais bavé J’avais bavé sur mon oreiller. I had drooled on my pillow.
tu tu avais bavé Tu avais bavé sur ton bureau. You had drooled on your desk.
il il avait bavé Il avait bavé sur son livre. He had drooled on his book.
elle elle avait bavé Elle avait bavé sur sa chemise. She had drooled on her shirt.
on on avait bavé On avait bavé sur le plancher. One had drooled on the floor.
nous nous avions bavé Nous avions bavé sur le canapé. We had drooled on the couch.
vous vous aviez bavé Vous aviez bavé sur la table. You had drooled on the table.
ils ils avaient bavé Ils avaient bavé sur le tapis. They had drooled on the carpet.
elles elles avaient bavé Elles avaient bavé sur le bureau. They had drooled on the desk.

Other Conjugations for Baver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb baver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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