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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fier

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The English translation of the French verb fier is “to trust” or “to rely on.” It is pronounced “fee-ay” (IPA: /fje/).

The word fier comes from the Latin verb “fīdĕre,” meaning “to trust” or “to confide.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of how fier is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais toujours fié en mon meilleur ami avant qu’il me trahisse. (I had always trusted my best friend before he betrayed me.)

  2. Elle avait fié en ses talents pour réussir le concours, mais elle a échoué. (She had relied on her skills to pass the exam, but she failed.)

  3. Nous nous étions fiés au GPS, mais il nous a mené dans la mauvaise direction. (We had trusted the GPS, but it led us in the wrong direction.)

English translations:

  1. I had always trusted my best friend before he betrayed me.

  2. She had relied on her skills to pass the exam, but she failed.

  3. We had trusted the GPS, but it led us in the wrong direction.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je je m’étais fié Je m’étais fié à mon intuition. I had trusted my intuition.
tu tu t’étais fié Tu t’étais fié à tes amis. You had trusted your friends.
il il s’était fié Il s’était fié à son jugement. He had trusted his judgement.
elle elle s’était fiée Elle s’était fiée à sa famille. She had trusted her family.
on on s’était fié On s’était fié au destin. One had trusted fate.
nous nous nous étions fiés Nous nous étions fiés à notre équipe. We had trusted our team.
vous vous vous étiez fiés Vous vous étiez fiés à vos instincts. You had trusted your instincts.
ils ils s’étaient fiés Ils s’étaient fiés à leur expérience. They had trusted their experience.
elles elles s’étaient fiées Elles s’étaient fiées à leur intuition. They had trusted their intuition.

Other Conjugations for Fier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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