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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb féculer

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The English translation of the French verb féculer is “to make starchy.” It is pronounced as “fay-koo-leh.”

Féculer comes from the noun “fécula” which means starch, and the suffix “-er” which is used to form verbs. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Three simple examples of féculer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais féculé la sauce avant de la servir. (I had made the sauce starchy before serving it.)
  2. Tu avais féculé la pâte pour qu’elle soit plus épaisse. (You had made the dough starchy to make it thicker.)
  3. Ils avaient féculé les légumes pour en faire une soupe. (They had made the vegetables starchy to make soup.)

In these examples, féculer is used to describe the action of making something starchy in the past. The Plus-que-parfait tense is often used to talk about an action that had already been completed before another past action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais féculé J’avais féculé le repas. I had thickened the meal.
tu tu avais féculé Tu avais féculé la sauce. You had thickened the sauce.
il il avait féculé Il avait féculé la soupe. He had thickened the soup.
elle elle avait féculé Elle avait féculé le ragoût. She had thickened the stew.
on on avait féculé On avait féculé le potage. One had thickened the broth.
nous nous avions féculé Nous avions féculé le bouillon. We had thickened the broth.
vous vous aviez féculé Vous aviez féculé la sauce. You had thickened the sauce.
ils ils avaient féculé Ils avaient féculé le plat. They had thickened the dish.
elles elles avaient féculé Elles avaient féculé la galette. They had thickened the pancake.

Other Conjugations for Féculer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb féculer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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