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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contourner

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The English translation of the French verb contourner is “to bypass” or “to go around”. It is pronounced as “kon-toor-nay”.

The word contourner comes from the Latin word “contornare” which means “to turn around”. It entered the French language in the 15th century and has been used in everyday French to describe the action of avoiding or circling around something.

Contourner is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that had already been completed before another past action. In this tense, contourner is conjugated as “j’avais contourné”, meaning “I had bypassed”.

Here are three examples of contourner in Plus-que-parfait tense, with English translations:

  1. J’avais contourné la ville pour éviter le trafic. (I had bypassed the city to avoid traffic.)
  2. Ils avaient contourné les règles pour obtenir le contrat. (They had gone around the rules to get the contract.)
  3. Elle avait contourné la montagne pour arriver au lac. (She had circled around the mountain to reach the lake.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contourné J’avais contourné le barrage. I had bypassed the barrier.
tu tu avais contourné Tu avais contourné l’obstacle. You had bypassed the obstacle.
il il avait contourné Il avait contourné le problème. He had bypassed the problem.
elle elle avait contourné Elle avait contourné la règle. She had bypassed the rule.
on on avait contourné On avait contourné la loi. One had bypassed the law.
nous nous avions contourné Nous avions contourné le système. We had bypassed the system.
vous vous aviez contourné Vous aviez contourné l’interdiction. You had bypassed the ban.
ils ils avaient contourné Ils avaient contourné le détecteur. They had bypassed the detector.
elles elles avaient contourné Elles avaient contourné la sécurité. They had bypassed the security.

Other Conjugations for Contourner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contourner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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