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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb biquer

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The English translation of the French verb biquer is “to peck” or “to pick.” It is pronounced as “bee-kay” in the infinitive form.

The origin of the word biquer can be traced back to the Latin word “picare,” which means “to prick” or “to sting.” In everyday French, it is most often used in its past tense form, plus-que-parfait, which indicates an action that happened before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Nous avions biqué des cerises avant de partir en promenade. (We had picked some cherries before going for a walk.)
  2. Tu avais biqué toutes les bonbons quand je suis arrivé. (You had eaten all the candies when I arrived.)
  3. Les oiseaux avaient biqué toutes les graines dans le jardin avant que je puisse les semer. (The birds had pecked all the seeds in the garden before I could plant them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais biqué J’avais biqué le livre. I had skimmed through the book.
tu tu avais biqué Tu avais biqué la revue. You had skimmed through the magazine.
il il avait biqué Il avait biqué le journal. He had skimmed through the newspaper.
elle elle avait biqué Elle avait biqué le rapport. She had skimmed through the report.
on on avait biqué On avait biqué le document. One had skimmed through the document.
nous nous avions biqué Nous avions biqué l’article. We had skimmed through the article.
vous vous aviez biqué Vous aviez biqué le dossier. You had skimmed through the file.
ils ils avaient biqué Ils avaient biqué le livre. They had skimmed through the book.
elles elles avaient biqué Elles avaient biqué la brochure. They had skimmed through the brochure.

Other Conjugations for Biquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb biquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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