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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb chômer

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The English translation of the French verb chômer is “to be idle” or “to be unemployed.” The infinitive form of chômer is pronounced as “shoh-may.”

The word chômer comes from the Old French word “chomer,” meaning “to rest” or “to be idle.” It is most commonly used in everyday French to refer to a state of not working or being unemployed.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, chômer is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action. For example:

  1. J’avais chômé toute la journée avant que le patron me rappelle. (I had been idle all day before the boss called me back.)
  2. Elle avait chômé pendant plusieurs mois avant de trouver un nouvel emploi. (She had been unemployed for several months before finding a new job.)
  3. Ils avaient chômé pendant les vacances d’été, mais maintenant ils sont de retour au travail. (They had been idle during the summer holidays, but now they are back to work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais chômé J’avais chômé depuis un mois. I had been unemployed for a month.
tu tu avais chômé Tu avais chômé pendant les vacances. You had been unemployed during the holidays.
il il avait chômé Il avait chômé toute la journée. He had been unemployed all day.
elle elle avait chômé Elle avait chômé pendant la grève. She had been unemployed during the strike.
on on avait chômé On avait chômé pendant la récession. One had been unemployed during the recession.
nous nous avions chômé Nous avions chômé pendant un an. We had been unemployed for a year.
vous vous aviez chômé Vous aviez chômé pendant la crise. You had been unemployed during the crisis.
ils ils avaient chômé Ils avaient chômé pendant la fermeture de l’usine. They had been unemployed during the factory closure.
elles elles avaient chômé Elles avaient chômé pendant la grève. They had been unemployed during the strike.

Other Conjugations for Chômer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb chômer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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