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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb congédier

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The English translation of the French verb congédier is “to dismiss” or “to fire”. It is pronounced as “kohn-zhey-dee-ay”.

The word congédier comes from the Latin word “congredi” which means “to dismiss” or “to send away”. It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used in everyday French to denote the act of dismissing or firing someone from a job.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, congédier is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. It is used to talk about events that had happened in the past, before another event in the past.

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

  1. J’avais congédié mon assistant avant qu’il ne commette une autre erreur. (I had fired my assistant before he made another mistake.)

  2. Elle avait congédié son patron parce qu’il ne l’avait pas augmentée depuis deux ans. (She had dismissed her boss because he had not given her a raise in two years.)

  3. Nous avions congédié notre jardinier car il n’avait pas bien entretenu notre jardin. (We had fired our gardener because he had not properly maintained our garden.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais congédié J’avais congédié mon employé. I had dismissed my employee.
tu tu avais congédié Tu avais congédié ton assistant. You had fired your assistant.
il il avait congédié Il avait congédié son collègue. He had laid off his colleague.
elle elle avait congédié Elle avait congédié sa secrétaire. She had sacked her secretary.
on on avait congédié On avait congédié tous les employés. One had fired all the employees.
nous nous avions congédié Nous avions congédié les travailleurs. We had dismissed the workers.
vous vous aviez congédié Vous aviez congédié vos employés. You had let go of your employees.
ils ils avaient congédié Ils avaient congédié leurs stagiaires. They had dismissed their interns.
elles elles avaient congédié Elles avaient congédié leurs apprentis. They had fired their apprentices.

Other Conjugations for Congédier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb congédier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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