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

Introduction to the verb commémorer

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The English translation of the French verb commémorer is “to commemorate.” It is pronounced as “koh-may-moh-rey” in its infinitive form.

The word commémorer comes from the Latin root “commemorare,” which means “to remember.” It is commonly used in everyday French to refer to the act of remembering and honoring past events or people.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, commémorer is used to talk about actions or events that had happened before another past event. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb avoir or être and the past participle of commémorer.

Here are three examples of commémorer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais commémoré la victoire de mon équipe préférée avant d’apprendre qu’elle avait perdu. (I had commemorated my favorite team’s victory before learning that they had lost.)
  2. Ils étaient déjà partis quand nous avons commémoré la mort de notre grand-père. (They had already left when we commemorated our grandfather’s death.)
  3. Elle avait commémoré ses années d’études à l’étranger avant de rentrer dans son pays natal. (She had commemorated her years of studying abroad before returning to her home country.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais commémoré J’avais commémoré l’événement. I had commemorated the event.
tu tu avais commémoré Tu avais commémoré la victoire. You had commemorated the victory.
il il avait commémoré Il avait commémoré la guerre. He had commemorated the war.
elle elle avait commémoré Elle avait commémoré la paix. She had commemorated the peace.
on on avait commémoré On avait commémoré la célébration. One had commemorated the celebration.
nous nous avions commémoré Nous avions commémoré le souvenir. We had commemorated the memory.
vous vous aviez commémoré Vous aviez commémoré la date. You had commemorated the date.
ils ils avaient commémoré Ils avaient commémoré le héros. They had commemorated the hero.
elles elles avaient commémoré Elles avaient commémoré l’événement. They had commemorated the event.

Other Conjugations for Commémorer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commémorer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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