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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb difformer

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The English translation of the French verb difformer is “to distort” or “to deform.” It is pronounced as “deefor-may.”

Difformer comes from the Latin word “deformare,” meaning “to shape” or “to form.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an event that has happened before another past event.

Three simple examples of difformer used in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais difformé les chiffres avant de les donner au professeur. (I had distorted the numbers before giving them to the teacher.)
  2. Tu avais difformé la lettre avant de la poster. (You had deformed the letter before mailing it.)
  3. Il avait difformé le vase en le faisant tomber. (He had deformed the vase by dropping it.)

In these examples, the Plus-que-parfait tense is used to show that the action of distorting/deforming had already taken place before another past event (giving the numbers to the teacher, mailing the letter, and dropping the vase).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais difformé J’avais difformé l’image. I had distorted the image.
tu tu avais difformé Tu avais difformé le texte. You had distorted the text.
il il avait difformé Il avait difformé le document. He had distorted the document.
elle elle avait difformé Elle avait difformé le dessin. She had distorted the drawing.
on on avait difformé On avait difformé la sculpture. One had distorted the sculpture.
nous nous avions difformé Nous avions difformé le tableau. We had distorted the painting.
vous vous aviez difformé Vous aviez difformé le son. You had distorted the sound.
ils ils avaient difformé Ils avaient difformé la photo. They had distorted the photo.
elles elles avaient difformé Elles avaient difformé l’affiche. They had distorted the poster.

Other Conjugations for Difformer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb difformer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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