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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb envier

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The English translation of the French verb envier is “to envy.” It is pronounced as ahn-vee-ay. The infinitive form of the verb is envier.

Envier comes from the Latin word “invidēre,” meaning “to look upon with malice.” It first appeared in the French language in the 12th century. In everyday French, envier is used to express feelings of jealousy or resentment towards someone or something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, envier is used to talk about past actions that were completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of envier, which is “envié.”

Here are three simple examples of envier in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais toujours envié sa belle maison avant de me rendre compte qu’elle était en réalité très seule. (I had always envied her beautiful house before realizing that she was actually very lonely.)
  2. Ils avaient envié notre succès avant de découvrir que nous avions travaillé très dur pour l’obtenir. (They had envied our success before discovering that we had worked very hard to achieve it.)
  3. Elle avait toujours envié sa sœur pour son intelligence, mais maintenant elle la soutenait dans ses études. (She had always envied her sister for her intelligence, but now she was supporting her in her studies.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais envié J’avais envié sa réussite. I had envied his success.
tu tu avais envié Tu avais envié leur bonheur. You had envied their happiness.
il il avait envié Il avait envié leur richesse. He had envied their wealth.
elle elle avait envié Elle avait envié sa beauté. She had envied her beauty.
on on avait envié On avait envié leur popularité. One had envied their popularity.
nous nous avions envié Nous avions envié leur réussite. We had envied their success.
vous vous aviez envié Vous aviez envié ses talents. You had envied his talents.
ils ils avaient envié Ils avaient envié leurs réalisations. They had envied their accomplishments.
elles elles avaient envié Elles avaient envié leurs réalisations. They had envied their accomplishments.

Other Conjugations for Envier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb envier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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