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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dégringoler

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The English translation of the French verb dégringoler is “to tumble down” or “to fall down.” It is pronounced as “day-gree-n-go-lay” in its infinitive form.

Dégringoler is derived from the Old French word “gringolier” which means “to make a loud noise.” It is a combination of the prefix “de-” which indicates downward movement, and the word “gringoler” which means “to roll.” The verb is most often used in the everyday French language to describe something falling or collapsing in a chaotic or disorderly manner.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, dégringoler is conjugated as “avoir dégringolé” for the past participle. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais dégringolé les escaliers en courant. (I had tumbled down the stairs while running.)
  2. Tu avais dégringolé de ton vélo en essayant de faire un saut. (You had fallen off your bike while trying to do a jump.)
  3. Il avait dégringolé du toit en tentant de réparer les tuiles. (He had fallen off the roof while trying to fix the tiles.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dégringolé J’avais dégringolé de l’escalier. I had tumbled down the stairs.
tu tu avais dégringolé Tu avais dégringolé de la montagne. You had fallen down the mountain.
il il avait dégringolé Il avait dégringolé de son vélo. He had fallen off his bike.
elle elle avait dégringolé Elle avait dégringolé du toit. She had tumbled off the roof.
on on avait dégringolé On avait dégringolé de la voiture. One had fallen out of the car.
nous nous avions dégringolé Nous avions dégringolé du mur. We had tumbled off the wall.
vous vous aviez dégringolé Vous aviez dégringolé de la chaise. You had fallen off the chair.
ils ils avaient dégringolé Ils avaient dégringolé de la falaise. They had fallen off the cliff.
elles elles avaient dégringolé Elles avaient dégringolé de l’arbre. They had fallen off the tree.

Other Conjugations for Dégringoler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dégringoler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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