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

Introduction to the verb démarcher

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The English translation of the French verb démarcher is “to canvass” or “to solicit.” The infinitive form is pronounced “day-mar-shay.”

Démarcher comes from the French word “démarche,” which means “step” or “movement.” It originated in the 17th century and was initially used to refer to a military tactic of advancing step by step. Over time, the meaning evolved to include the act of approaching or soliciting people for a cause or business.

In everyday French, démarcher is often used in the plus-que-parfait tense to talk about past actions that were completed before another event in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais démarché plusieurs clients avant la réunion de l’équipe de vente. (I had canvassed several clients before the sales team meeting.)
  2. Tu avais démarché tous les voisins avant la fête pour leur demander d’apporter un plat. (You had solicited all the neighbors before the party to ask them to bring a dish.)
  3. Il avait démarché les sponsors avant le début du tournoi de football. (He had approached the sponsors before the start of the football tournament.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais démarché J’avais démarché toutes les entreprises. I had prospected all the companies.
tu tu avais démarché Tu avais démarché les clients potentiels. You had approached potential clients.
il il avait démarché Il avait démarché le quartier. He had canvassed the neighborhood.
elle elle avait démarché Elle avait démarché les habitants du village. She had approached the villagers.
on on avait démarché On avait démarché les résidents de l’immeuble. One had approached the residents of the building.
nous nous avions démarché Nous avions démarché les fournisseurs. We had prospected the suppliers.
vous vous aviez démarché Vous aviez démarché les partenaires potentiels. You had approached potential partners.
ils ils avaient démarché Ils avaient démarché les clients fidèles. They had approached loyal clients.
elles elles avaient démarché Elles avaient démarché les habitants du quartier. They had approached the residents of the neighborhood.

Other Conjugations for Démarcher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb démarcher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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