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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-miner

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The English translation of contre-miner is “to counter-mine.” It is pronounced as “kon-truh-mee-nay.”

The word contre-miner is derived from the French words “contre” meaning “against” and “miner” meaning “to mine.” It is most often used in the context of military tactics, referring to the act of undermining or sabotaging enemy mines. In everyday French, it may also be used figuratively to refer to any act of countering or sabotaging an opponent’s plans or actions.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, contre-miner is conjugated as “j’avais contre-miné” for the first person singular form, “tu avais contre-miné” for the second person singular form, “il/elle avait contre-miné” for the third person singular form, “nous avions contre-miné” for the first person plural form, “vous aviez contre-miné” for the second person plural form, and “ils/elles avaient contre-miné” for the third person plural form.

Example 1: J’avais contre-miné leurs plans. (I had counter-mined their plans.)
Example 2: Tu avais contre-miné son influence. (You had countered his influence.)
Example 3: Ils avaient contre-miné nos efforts. (They had undermined our efforts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contre-miné J’avais contre-miné la région. I had counter-mined the region.
tu tu avais contre-miné Tu avais contre-miné la forteresse. You had counter-mined the fortress.
il il avait contre-miné Il avait contre-miné la frontière. He had counter-mined the border.
elle elle avait contre-miné Elle avait contre-miné la ville. She had counter-mined the city.
on on avait contre-miné On avait contre-miné la zone. One had counter-mined the zone.
nous nous avions contre-miné Nous avions contre-miné la côte. We had counter-mined the coast.
vous vous aviez contre-miné Vous aviez contre-miné la base. You had counter-mined the base.
ils ils avaient contre-miné Ils avaient contre-miné le port. They had counter-mined the port.
elles elles avaient contre-miné Elles avaient contre-miné la ligne de front. They had counter-mined the front line.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Miner.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-miner

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

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Contre-Miner – 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.

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