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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb confédérer

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The English translation of the French verb confédérer is “to confederate” or “to form a confederation.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “kon-feh-deh-reh.”

The verb confédérer comes from the Latin word “confoederare,” meaning “to unite,” and the prefix “con-” meaning “together.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of forming a group or alliance.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, confédérer is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. For example:

  1. Nous avions confédéré nos forces avant la bataille. (We had confederated our forces before the battle.)

  2. Les pays d’Europe s’étaient confédérés pour former l’Union Européenne. (The countries of Europe had confederated to form the European Union.)

  3. Avant la révolution, les colonies s’étaient confédérées pour lutter contre la puissance coloniale. (Before the revolution, the colonies had confederated to fight against colonial power.)

English translations:

  1. We had confederated our forces before the battle.
  2. The countries of Europe had confederated to form the European Union.
  3. Before the revolution, the colonies had confederated to fight against colonial power.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je je m’étais confédéré Je m’étais confédéré avec mes amis. I had confederated with my friends.
tu tu t’étais confédéré Tu t’étais confédéré avec ton équipe. You had confederated with your team.
il il s’était confédéré Il s’était confédéré avec ses alliés. He had confederated with his allies.
elle elle s’était confédérée Elle s’était confédérée avec ses collègues. She had confederated with her colleagues.
on on s’était confédéré On s’était confédéré avec d’autres états. One had confederated with other states.
nous nous nous étions confédérés Nous nous étions confédérés pour la cause. We had confederated for the cause.
vous vous vous étiez confédérés Vous vous étiez confédérés pour le projet. You had confederated for the project.
ils ils s’étaient confédérés Ils s’étaient confédérés pour l’indépendance. They had confederated for independence.
elles elles s’étaient confédérées Elles s’étaient confédérées pour le mouvement. They had confederated for the movement.

Other Conjugations for Confédérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb confédérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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