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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb forcer

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The English translation of the French verb forcer is “to force.” The infinitive form of forcer is pronounced as [foʁse].

The word forcer comes from the Latin term “fortiare,” meaning “to strengthen.” It is derived from the Old French word “forcier” which meant “to use force.”

In everyday French, forcer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais forcé la porte avant de m’enfuir. (I had forced the door before fleeing.)
  2. Tu avais forcé le serrure pour entrer. (You had forced the lock to enter.)
  3. Ils avaient forcé le coffre-fort avant l’arrivée de la police. (They had forced the safe before the arrival of the police.)

English translations:

  1. I had forced the door before fleeing.
  2. You had forced the lock to enter.
  3. They had forced the safe before the arrival of the police.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais forcé J’avais forcé la porte. I had forced the door.
tu tu avais forcé Tu avais forcé la serrure. You had forced the lock.
il il avait forcé Il avait forcé la fenêtre. He had forced the window.
elle elle avait forcé Elle avait forcé la porte. She had forced the door.
on on avait forcé On avait forcé la porte. One had forced the door.
nous nous avions forcé Nous avions forcé la serrure. We had forced the lock.
vous vous aviez forcé Vous aviez forcé la porte. You had forced the door.
ils ils avaient forcé Ils avaient forcé la porte. They had forced the door.
elles elles avaient forcé Elles avaient forcé la porte. They had forced the door.

Other Conjugations for Forcer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb forcer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Forcer – 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.

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