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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fayotter

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The English translation of the French verb fayotter is to suck up or to brown-nose. The infinitive form is pronounced as “fay-ot-ay.”

The word fayotter originated from the French slang term “fayot” which refers to a brown-noser or a teacher’s pet. It is derived from the old French word “faire” (to do) and the suffix “-ot” which denotes a diminutive or a mocking word.

In everyday French, fayotter is most commonly used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. It is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. It is often used in a negative or pejorative way to describe someone who excessively flatters or tries to gain favor with someone in authority.

Examples:

  1. Il avait fayotté le professeur pour obtenir une meilleure note. (He had sucked up to the teacher to get a better grade.)
  2. Elle avait toujours fayotté son patron pour obtenir une promotion. (She had always brown-nosed her boss to get a promotion.)
  3. Les politiciens avaient fayotté les électeurs pour gagner leur vote. (The politicians had brown-nosed the voters to win their vote.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais fayotté J’avais fayotté avec mon patron. I had been a brown-noser with my boss.
tu tu avais fayotté Tu avais fayotté pour obtenir une promotion. You had brown-nosed to get a promotion.
il il avait fayotté Il avait fayotté pour avoir une bonne note. He had brown-nosed to get a good grade.
elle elle avait fayotté Elle avait fayotté avec le professeur. She had brown-nosed with the teacher.
on on avait fayotté On avait fayotté pour obtenir une augmentation. One had brown-nosed to get a raise.
nous nous avions fayotté Nous avions fayotté avec le directeur. We had brown-nosed with the director.
vous vous aviez fayotté Vous aviez fayotté pour gagner la confiance de vos collègues. You had brown-nosed to gain the trust of your colleagues.
ils ils avaient fayotté Ils avaient fayotté pour obtenir un meilleur poste. They had brown-nosed to get a better position.
elles elles avaient fayotté Elles avaient fayotté pour avoir une augmentation de salaire. They had brown-nosed to get a salary increase.

Other Conjugations for Fayotter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fayotter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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