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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gaspiller

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The English translation of the French verb gaspiller is “to waste.” It is pronounced as “gah-spee-yay.”

The word “gaspiller” comes from the Old French word “waspillier” which means “to waste, spoil, or destroy.” It is derived from the Latin word “vastare” which has a similar meaning.

In everyday French, gaspiller is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate actions or events that were completed in the past before another past action or event. It is formed by combining the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense with the past participle “gaspillé.”

Examples:

  1. J’avais gaspillé mon argent avant de recevoir mon salaire. (I had wasted my money before receiving my salary.)
  2. Tu avais gaspillé beaucoup de nourriture pendant le dîner. (You had wasted a lot of food during dinner.)
  3. Ils avaient gaspillé leur temps en regardant la télévision toute la journée. (They had wasted their time watching TV all day long.)

English translations:

  1. I had wasted my money before receiving my salary.
  2. You had wasted a lot of food during dinner.
  3. They had wasted their time watching TV all day long.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais gaspillé J’avais gaspillé mon argent. I had wasted my money.
tu tu avais gaspillé Tu avais gaspillé ta nourriture. You had wasted your food.
il il avait gaspillé Il avait gaspillé ses ressources. He had wasted his resources.
elle elle avait gaspillé Elle avait gaspillé son temps. She had wasted her time.
on on avait gaspillé On avait gaspillé de l’eau. One had wasted water.
nous nous avions gaspillé Nous avions gaspillé notre énergie. We had wasted our energy.
vous vous aviez gaspillé Vous aviez gaspillé vos talents. You had wasted your talents.
ils ils avaient gaspillé Ils avaient gaspillé leur argent. They had wasted their money.
elles elles avaient gaspillé Elles avaient gaspillé leurs opportunités. They had wasted their opportunities.

Other Conjugations for Gaspiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gaspiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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