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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gendarmer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of gendarmer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb gendarmer is “to police” or “to control.” The infinitive form, gendarmer, is pronounced “zhahn-dar-meh.”

The word gendarmer comes from the Old French word “gens d’armes,” meaning “men-at-arms.” It was first used in the 15th century to refer to a body of armed men who were responsible for maintaining order and security in the countryside. Later on, it came to specifically refer to the French military police force.

In everyday French, gendarmer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action or a specific point in the past.

Three simple examples of gendarmer being used in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais gendarmé les rues avant la manifestation. (I had policed the streets before the protest.)
  2. Tu avais gendarmé les frontières avant l’arrivée des migrants. (You had controlled the borders before the arrival of the migrants.)
  3. Ils avaient gendarmé la ville pendant la révolution. (They had policed the city during the revolution.)

In each of these examples, the action of “policing” or “controlling” was completed before another past action or event. In English, the past perfect tense is formed using “had” + the past participle of the verb, while in French, the Plus-que-parfait tense is formed using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense + the past participle of the verb.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais gendarmé J’avais gendarmé la ville. I had controlled the town.
tu tu avais gendarmé Tu avais gendarmé la frontière. You had controlled the border.
il il avait gendarmé Il avait gendarmé la manifestation. He had controlled the protest.
elle elle avait gendarmé Elle avait gendarmé la circulation. She had controlled the traffic.
on on avait gendarmé On avait gendarmé la zone. One had controlled the zone.
nous nous avions gendarmé Nous avions gendarmé la campagne. We had controlled the countryside.
vous vous aviez gendarmé Vous aviez gendarmé la plage. You had controlled the beach.
ils ils avaient gendarmé Ils avaient gendarmé le quartier. They had controlled the neighborhood.
elles elles avaient gendarmé Elles avaient gendarmé la frontière. They had controlled the border.

Other Conjugations for Gendarmer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gendarmer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the gendarmer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts