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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ergoter

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The English translation of the French verb ergoter is “to quibble” or “to nitpick.” It is pronounced as “air-go-tay” or “air-go-tuh” in the infinitive form.

The word ergoter comes from the Latin word “argutare” which means “to chatter” or “to argue.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and has been used in everyday speech since then.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, ergoter is used to describe an action that had been nitpicked or quibbled about in the past. It is often used in a negative context to convey annoyance or frustration.

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

  1. J’avais déjà fini mon travail, mais mon collègue continuait d’ergoter sur les détails. (I had already finished my work, but my colleague kept quibbling about the details.)

  2. Nous avions acheté le cadeau parfait, mais ma mère a encore ergoté sur le choix de couleur. (We had bought the perfect gift, but my mother kept nitpicking about the color choice.)

  3. Il avait passé des heures à ergoter sur le menu, et au final il a commandé la même chose que moi. (He had spent hours quibbling about the menu, and in the end he ordered the same thing as me.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais ergoté J’avais ergoté pendant des heures. I had quibbled for hours.
tu tu avais ergoté Tu avais ergoté sur le contrat. You had quibbled about the contract.
il il avait ergoté Il avait ergoté sur les détails. He had quibbled about the details.
elle elle avait ergoté Elle avait ergoté à propos de la réunion. She had quibbled about the meeting.
on on avait ergoté On avait ergoté sur la politique. One had quibbled about politics.
nous nous avions ergoté Nous avions ergoté sur les règles. We had quibbled about the rules.
vous vous aviez ergoté Vous aviez ergoté au sujet du projet. You had quibbled about the project.
ils ils avaient ergoté Ils avaient ergoté sur les dépenses. They had quibbled about the expenses.
elles elles avaient ergoté Elles avaient ergoté sur la décision. They had quibbled about the decision.

Other Conjugations for Ergoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ergoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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