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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb commérer

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The English translation of the French verb commérer is “to gossip” or “to chat.” It is pronounced koh-meh-ray.

The language origin of commérer can be traced back to the Latin word “commentari” meaning “to comment” or “to talk.” In modern French, commérer is most often used in everyday language to describe idle talk or gossiping.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, commérer is used to talk about past actions that were completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais comméré sur elle avant même de la rencontrer. (I had gossiped about her before even meeting her.)
  2. Nous avions comméré pendant des heures avant de se rendre compte que c’était faux. (We had chatted for hours before realizing it was false.)
  3. Ils avaient comméré sur leurs voisins avant de réaliser qu’ils étaient en train de les écouter. (They had been gossiping about their neighbors before realizing they were listening in.)

In all of these examples, the action of commérer (gossiping) was completed before another past action (meeting, realizing, listening).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais comméré J’avais comméré avec mes voisines. I had gossiped with my neighbors.
tu tu avais comméré Tu avais comméré à propos de lui. You had gossiped about him.
il il avait comméré Il avait comméré avec ses collègues. He had gossiped with his colleagues.
elle elle avait comméré Elle avait comméré avec ses amies. She had gossiped with her friends.
on on avait comméré On avait comméré sur le voisin. One had gossiped about the neighbor.
nous nous avions comméré Nous avions comméré sur nos voisins. We had gossiped about our neighbors.
vous vous aviez comméré Vous aviez comméré sur votre voisin. You had gossiped about your neighbor.
ils ils avaient comméré Ils avaient comméré avec leurs amis. They had gossiped with their friends.
elles elles avaient comméré Elles avaient comméré sur leur collègue. They had gossiped about their colleague.

Other Conjugations for Commérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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