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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb empirer

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The English translation of the French verb “empirer” is “to worsen” or “to deteriorate”. It is pronounced as [ɑ̃.pi.ʁe] in its infinitive form.

The word “empirer” comes from the Latin word “imperare”, meaning “to command”. In modern French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of “empirer” used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais déjà mal à la tête, mais cela a empiré après avoir passé toute la journée devant l’ordinateur. (I already had a headache, but it got worse after spending the whole day in front of the computer.)

  2. Nous étions déjà en retard, mais le trafic a empiré et nous sommes arrivés encore plus tard que prévu. (We were already late, but the traffic got worse and we arrived even later than planned.)

  3. Elle avait un rhume, mais ça a empiré et elle a fini par attraper une bronchite. (She had a cold, but it got worse and she ended up getting bronchitis.)

In all of these examples, “empirer” is used to describe a situation that became worse or more severe in the past. It is a common verb in everyday French and can be used in various contexts to describe a decline or deterioration in something.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais empiré J’avais empiré la situation. I had worsened the situation.
tu tu avais empiré Tu avais empiré ta santé. You had worsened your health.
il il avait empiré Il avait empiré les choses. He had worsened things.
elle elle avait empiré Elle avait empiré ses relations. She had worsened her relationships.
on on avait empiré On avait empiré le problème. One had worsened the problem.
nous nous avions empiré Nous avions empiré notre performance. We had worsened our performance.
vous vous aviez empiré Vous aviez empiré la situation. You had worsened the situation.
ils ils avaient empiré Ils avaient empiré les conditions. They had worsened the conditions.
elles elles avaient empiré Elles avaient empiré la situation. They had worsened the situation.

Other Conjugations for Empirer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb empirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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