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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foisonner

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The English translation of the French verb foisonner is “to abound” or “to be plentiful”. It is pronounced as “fwah-ee-saw-nay” in its infinitive form.

Foisonner comes from the Old French word “foison”, meaning abundance or plenty. It is often used in everyday French to describe a large quantity or number of something. In the plus-que-parfait tense, it indicates an action that had been completed or was in progress before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of foisonner in the plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Ils avaient foisonné de fruits cet été. (They had been abundant in fruits this summer.)
  2. Elle avait foisonné de créativité pendant ses années d’études. (She had abounded in creativity during her years of study.)
  3. Les fleurs avaient foisonné dans le parc avant d’être cueillies pour le festival. (The flowers had abounded in the park before being picked for the festival.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais foisonné J’avais foisonné d’idées I had abounded with ideas
tu tu avais foisonné Tu avais foisonné de talents You had abounded with talents
il il avait foisonné Il avait foisonné de nourriture He had abounded with food
elle elle avait foisonné Elle avait foisonné de livres She had abounded with books
on on avait foisonné On avait foisonné de couleurs One had abounded with colors
nous nous avions foisonné Nous avions foisonné de projets We had abounded with projects
vous vous aviez foisonné Vous aviez foisonné d’opinions You had abounded with opinions
ils ils avaient foisonné Ils avaient foisonné de fleurs They had abounded with flowers
elles elles avaient foisonné Elles avaient foisonné de chansons They had abounded with songs

Other Conjugations for Foisonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foisonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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