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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb foncer

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The English translation of the French verb foncer is “to rush/to darken/to charge”. It is pronounced as “fawn-seh”.

The origin of the word foncer comes from the Latin word “fundi” meaning “to pour in” or “to sink”. In everyday French, foncer is most often used in its figurative sense of “to rush/to go quickly”. It can also be used to describe darkening something, such as adding a darker shade to a color, or charging towards something with determination.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, foncer is used to describe an action that had already happened in the past, before another action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. J’étais en retard pour le rendez-vous car je fonçais à travers la ville. (I was late for the appointment because I was rushing through the city.)

  2. Ils avaient foncé leur café avec du lait avant de le boire. (They had darkened their coffee with milk before drinking it.)

  3. Nous avions foncé vers la sortie quand nous avons entendu l’alarme incendie. (We had charged towards the exit when we heard the fire alarm.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais foncé J’avais foncé dans la nuit. I had rushed in the night.
tu tu avais foncé Tu avais foncé sur le mur. You had crashed into the wall.
il il avait foncé Il avait foncé vers la sortie. He had headed towards the exit.
elle elle avait foncé Elle avait foncé sur le trottoir. She had run on the sidewalk.
on on avait foncé On avait foncé sur la route. One had sped on the road.
nous nous avions foncé Nous avions foncé dans le tunnel. We had plunged into the tunnel.
vous vous aviez foncé Vous aviez foncé sur le pont. You had driven on the bridge.
ils ils avaient foncé Ils avaient foncé sur la plage. They had charged towards the beach.
elles elles avaient foncé Elles avaient foncé vers la montagne. They had sped towards the mountain.

Other Conjugations for Foncer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb foncer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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