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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb farfouiller

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The English translation of the French verb farfouiller is “to rummage” or “to search through”. The infinitive form is pronounced “far-foo-yay”.

Farfouiller comes from the word “fouiller” which means “to search”. The prefix “far-” adds an intensifying effect, so farfouiller can be translated as “to search thoroughly” or “to rummage around”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Examples of farfouiller in the Plus-que-parfait tense include:

  1. J’avais farfouillé dans mes tiroirs mais je n’avais pas trouvé mes clés. (I had rummaged through my drawers but I had not found my keys.)
  2. Nous avions farfouillé dans le grenier pour trouver des décorations de Noël. (We had searched through the attic to find Christmas decorations.)
  3. Les enfants avaient farfouillé dans le sable à la recherche de coquillages. (The children had rummaged through the sand looking for seashells.)

In each of these examples, the verb farfouiller is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been completed before a specific point in the past. In English, this is equivalent to the past perfect tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais farfouillé J’avais farfouillé dans mon sac. I had rummaged through my bag.
tu tu avais farfouillé Tu avais farfouillé dans le tiroir. You had rummaged through the drawer.
il il avait farfouillé Il avait farfouillé dans ses poches. He had rummaged through his pockets.
elle elle avait farfouillé Elle avait farfouillé dans son sac à main. She had rummaged through her purse.
on on avait farfouillé On avait farfouillé dans le placard. One had rummaged through the closet.
nous nous avions farfouillé Nous avions farfouillé dans les affaires. We had rummaged through the belongings.
vous vous aviez farfouillé Vous aviez farfouillé dans le coffre. You had rummaged through the trunk.
ils ils avaient farfouillé Ils avaient farfouillé dans le sac à dos. They had rummaged through the backpack.
elles elles avaient farfouillé Elles avaient farfouillé dans la boîte. They had rummaged through the box.

Other Conjugations for Farfouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb farfouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Farfouiller – 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.

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