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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb doter

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The English translation of the French verb doter is “to endow” or “to equip.” It is pronounced as “doh-tay” in its infinitive form.

The word “doter” comes from the Old French word “doteur” which means “one who distributes property.” This verb is most commonly used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates actions that happened before a specified past time.

Three simple examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais doté ma fille d’une éducation solide avant qu’elle ne parte à l’université. (I had endowed my daughter with a solid education before she left for university.)

  2. Les parents avaient doté leur fils d’un grand sens de l’humour, ce qui lui a permis de faire face aux difficultés de la vie. (The parents had equipped their son with a great sense of humor, which helped him to deal with the challenges of life.)

  3. Nous avions doté notre maison de nombreux équipements modernes pour en faire un lieu agréable à vivre. (We had equipped our house with many modern amenities to make it a pleasant place to live.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais doté J’avais doté l’entreprise. I had endowed the company.
tu tu avais doté Tu avais doté ta famille. You had provided for your family.
il il avait doté Il avait doté le projet. He had funded the project.
elle elle avait doté Elle avait doté l’association. She had endowed the association.
on on avait doté On avait doté l’école. One had endowed the school.
nous nous avions doté Nous avions doté l’hôpital. We had endowed the hospital.
vous vous aviez doté Vous aviez doté l’équipe. You had endowed the team.
ils ils avaient doté Ils avaient doté le musée. They had endowed the museum.
elles elles avaient doté Elles avaient doté la bibliothèque. They had endowed the library.

Other Conjugations for Doter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb doter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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