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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb fritter

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The English translation of the French verb fritter is to waste or squander. It is pronounced as “free-teh”.

The word fritter comes from the Old French word “friture” which means to fry. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that occurred before another past action or a specific point in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of fritter used in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais fritter tout mon argent avant de réaliser que j’en avais besoin pour payer le loyer. (I had wasted all my money before realizing I needed it to pay the rent.)

  2. Elle avait fritter des années à étudier le violon avant de se rendre compte qu’elle préférait la peinture. (She had squandered years studying the violin before realizing she preferred painting.)

  3. Nous avions fritter notre temps à regarder la télé au lieu de faire nos devoirs. (We had wasted our time watching TV instead of doing our homework.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais fritté J’avais fritté les légumes. I had fried the vegetables.
tu tu avais fritté Tu avais fritté le poisson. You had fried the fish.
il il avait fritté Il avait fritté les pommes de terre. He had fried the potatoes.
elle elle avait fritté Elle avait fritté les beignets. She had fried the doughnuts.
on on avait fritté On avait fritté les oignons. One had fried the onions.
nous nous avions fritté Nous avions fritté les crevettes. We had fried the shrimp.
vous vous aviez fritté Vous aviez fritté les calmars. You had fried the calamari.
ils ils avaient fritté Ils avaient fritté les courgettes. They had fried the zucchini.
elles elles avaient fritté Elles avaient fritté les aubergines. They had fried the eggplants.

Other Conjugations for Fritter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb fritter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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