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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gercer

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The English translation of the French verb gercer is “to crack” or “to chap.” The infinitive form of gercer is pronounced “zher-seh.”

The origin of gercer can be traced back to the Latin word “gauscire,” which means “to dry up.” In modern French, gercer is most commonly used in its reflexive form, se gercer, to describe the action of skin becoming dry and cracked due to cold weather or excessive dryness.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, gercer is used to describe an action that had already happened in the past before another past action. For example:

  1. Quand il est allé au ski, il s’était déjà gercé les lèvres. (When he went skiing, his lips were already cracked.)

  2. Elle avait l’habitude de se laver les mains fréquemment, c’est pourquoi elle avait souvent les mains gercées. (She used to wash her hands frequently, which is why her hands were often cracked.)

  3. Avant de mettre des gants, il avait déjà gercé ses mains en travaillant dans le jardin. (Before putting on gloves, he had already cracked his hands while working in the garden.)

  4. When he went skiing, his lips were already cracked.

  5. She used to wash her hands frequently, which is why her hands were often cracked.

  6. Before putting on gloves, he had already cracked his hands while working in the garden.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais gerçé J’avais gerçé ma peau. I had chapped my skin.
tu tu avais gerçé Tu avais gerçé tes lèvres. You had chapped your lips.
il il avait gerçé Il avait gerçé ses mains. He had chapped his hands.
elle elle avait gerçé Elle avait gerçé son visage. She had chapped her face.
on on avait gerçé On avait gerçé nos joues. One had chapped our cheeks.
nous nous avions gerçé Nous avions gerçé nos pieds. We had chapped our feet.
vous vous aviez gerçé Vous aviez gerçé vos genoux. You had chapped your knees.
ils ils avaient gerçé Ils avaient gerçé leurs mains. They had chapped their hands.
elles elles avaient gerçé Elles avaient gerçé leurs lèvres. They had chapped their lips.

Other Conjugations for Gercer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gercer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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