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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dévorer

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The English translation of dévorer is “to devour” or “to eat voraciously.” It is pronounced as “day-vo-rer” in French.

Dévorer comes from the Latin word “devorare,” meaning “to swallow up,” and entered the French language in the 12th century. It is a regular -er verb and is often used in everyday French to indicate consuming food in a very eager or rapid manner.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, dévorer is used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of dévorer.

Examples:

  1. J’avais dévoré tout le gâteau avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had devoured the entire cake before the guests arrived.)
  2. Elle était dévorée d’envie d’essayer le nouveau restaurant. (She was dying to try the new restaurant.)
  3. Nous avions dévoré notre dîner en quelques minutes car nous avions très faim. (We had devoured our dinner in a few minutes because we were very hungry.)

In English, the plus-que-parfait tense is translated as the pluperfect tense, but in spoken French, it is often replaced with the passé composé tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dévoré J’avais dévoré mon repas. I had devoured my meal.
tu tu avais dévoré Tu avais dévoré le gâteau. You had devoured the cake.
il il avait dévoré Il avait dévoré son sandwich. He had devoured his sandwich.
elle elle avait dévoré Elle avait dévoré sa salade. She had devoured her salad.
on on avait dévoré On avait dévoré les bonbons. One had devoured the candies.
nous nous avions dévoré Nous avions dévoré le dîner. We had devoured dinner.
vous vous aviez dévoré Vous aviez dévoré le dessert. You had devoured the dessert.
ils ils avaient dévoré Ils avaient dévoré le plat principal. They had devoured the main course.
elles elles avaient dévoré Elles avaient dévoré la pizza. They had devoured the pizza.

Other Conjugations for Dévorer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dévorer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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