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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb draguer

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The English translation of the French verb draguer is “to flirt” or “to hit on”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “dra-guer”.

The word “draguer” comes from the Old French word “drage” or “draget”, meaning “lure”. It was originally used in maritime vocabulary to refer to the act of dragging a boat or net through the water. Over time, it evolved to have a figurative meaning of “to try to attract or seduce someone”.

In everyday French, the verb draguer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais dragué Marie avant de la rencontrer en personne. (I had flirted with Marie before meeting her in person.)
  2. Tu avais dragué cette fille toute la soirée, mais elle était déjà en couple. (You had hit on that girl all night, but she was already in a relationship.)
  3. Ils avaient dragué leur professeur pour obtenir de meilleures notes, mais ça n’a pas marché. (They had tried to flirt with their teacher to get better grades, but it didn’t work.)

In these examples, the verb draguer is used to indicate an action that was already completed in the past, before another action. The Plus-que-parfait tense adds a sense of pastness and emphasizes the completion of the action.

Overall, draguer is a commonly used verb in French, especially among young people, and has a playful and flirtatious connotation.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dragué J’avais dragué cette fille. I had hit on that girl.
tu tu avais dragué Tu avais dragué ton voisin. You had hit on your neighbor.
il il avait dragué Il avait dragué sa collègue. He had hit on his colleague.
elle elle avait dragué Elle avait dragué son ami. She had hit on her friend.
on on avait dragué On avait dragué la serveuse. One had hit on the waitress.
nous nous avions dragué Nous avions dragué le barman. We had hit on the bartender.
vous vous aviez dragué Vous aviez dragué le serveur. You had hit on the waiter.
ils ils avaient dragué Ils avaient dragué leurs voisins. They had hit on their neighbors.
elles elles avaient dragué Elles avaient dragué leurs amis. They had hit on their friends.

Other Conjugations for Draguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb draguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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