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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cogiter

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The English translation of the French verb cogiter is “to reflect” or “to ponder.” The infinitive form, cogiter, is pronounced “koh-zhee-tay.”

Cogiter comes from the Latin word cogitare, meaning “to think.” It is a regular -er verb and is commonly used in everyday French to describe deep or intense thinking.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, cogiter is used to talk about something that had been thought about or reflected on before a specific past event. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir in the imparfait tense followed by the past participle of cogiter, which is cogité.

Here are three simple examples of cogiter in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais cogité toute la nuit avant de prendre ma décision. (I had reflected all night before making my decision.)
  2. Nous avions cogité sur cette question depuis des semaines avant de trouver une solution. (We had pondered on this question for weeks before finding a solution.)
  3. Tu avais cogité sur ce projet depuis des mois avant de le présenter à ton patron. (You had thought about this project for months before presenting it to your boss.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cogité J’avais cogité toute la nuit. I had thought all night.
tu tu avais cogité Tu avais cogité toute la journée. You had thought all day.
il il avait cogité Il avait cogité pendant des heures. He had thought for hours.
elle elle avait cogité Elle avait cogité avant de prendre sa décision. She had thought before making her decision.
on on avait cogité On avait cogité ensemble. One had thought together.
nous nous avions cogité Nous avions cogité sur le projet. We had thought about the project.
vous vous aviez cogité Vous aviez cogité sur votre réponse. You had thought about your answer.
ils ils avaient cogité Ils avaient cogité sur le problème. They had thought about the problem.
elles elles avaient cogité Elles avaient cogité toute la nuit. They had thought all night.

Other Conjugations for Cogiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cogiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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