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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empaumer

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The English translation of the French verb empaumer is “to pocket” or “to slip into one’s pocket”. It is pronounced as “ahm-poh-may”.

The language origin of empaumer can be traced back to the Latin word “pallium”, meaning “cloak” or “robe”. In Old French, this word evolved into “paume”, meaning “palm”, which then gave rise to the verb empaumer, literally meaning “to put in the palm of one’s hand”.

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

Some examples of empaumer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais empaumé le porte-monnaie avant de quitter la maison. (I had pocketed the wallet before leaving the house.)

  2. Il avait empaumé la montre de son père sans qu’il s’en rende compte. (He had slipped his father’s watch into his pocket without him noticing.)

  3. Nous avions empaumé des bonbons dans le magasin quand le vigile nous a surpris. (We had pocketed some candies in the store when the security guard caught us.)

Overall, empaumer is used in everyday French to describe the action of stealthily putting something into one’s pocket without being noticed.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais empaumé J’avais empaumé le ballon. I had palmed the ball.
tu tu avais empaumé Tu avais empaumé l’argent. You had pocketed the money.
il il avait empaumé Il avait empaumé la clé. He had snatched the key.
elle elle avait empaumé Elle avait empaumé le livre. She had grabbed the book.
on on avait empaumé On avait empaumé la pomme. One had picked the apple.
nous nous avions empaumé Nous avions empaumé le trophée. We had lifted the trophy.
vous vous aviez empaumé Vous aviez empaumé le sac. You had grabbed the bag.
ils ils avaient empaumé Ils avaient empaumé le bijou. They had stolen the jewel.
elles elles avaient empaumé Elles avaient empaumé la balle. They had caught the ball.

Other Conjugations for Empaumer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empaumer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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