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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb forlonger

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The English translation of the French verb forlonger is “to prolong/to lengthen.” It is pronounced “fohr-lohn-zhay” in its infinitive form.

The word forlonger comes from the Old French word “furlongier,” meaning “to lengthen,” which is derived from the Latin word “longus,” meaning “long.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Examples of forlonger in the Plus-que-parfait tense (with English translations):

  1. J’avais forlongé mon séjour en France avant de rentrer chez moi. (I had prolonged my stay in France before returning home.)
  2. Tu avais forlongé la réunion en discutant de sujets non pertinents. (You had lengthened the meeting by discussing irrelevant topics.)
  3. Ils avaient forlongé les négociations en demandant des compromis impossibles à accepter. (They had prolonged the negotiations by demanding impossible compromises.)

In all of these examples, the action of prolonging or lengthening had already been completed before a specific point in the past.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais forlongé J’avais forlongé le trajet. I had extended the journey.
tu tu avais forlongé Tu avais forlongé le contrat. You had extended the contract.
il il avait forlongé Il avait forlongé la réunion. He had extended the meeting.
elle elle avait forlongé Elle avait forlongé la conversation. She had extended the conversation.
on on avait forlongé On avait forlongé le séjour. One had extended the stay.
nous nous avions forlongé Nous avions forlongé le délai. We had extended the deadline.
vous vous aviez forlongé Vous aviez forlongé le contrat. You had extended the contract.
ils ils avaient forlongé Ils avaient forlongé la tâche. They had extended the task.
elles elles avaient forlongé Elles avaient forlongé la visite. They had extended the visit.

Other Conjugations for Forlonger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb forlonger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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