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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb gouverner

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The English translation of the French verb gouverner is “to govern.” The infinitive form is pronounced “goo-vair-nay.”

The word govern comes from the Old French word “governier,” which ultimately comes from the Latin word “gubernare,” meaning “to steer a ship.” In everyday French, gouverner is used to refer to the act of governing or ruling a country, organization or group of people. It can also refer to the act of controlling or influencing something.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, gouverner is conjugated with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle “gouverné.” Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’avais gouverné la ville pendant cinq ans avant de démissionner. (I had governed the city for five years before resigning.)
  2. Tu avais gouverné cette entreprise avec succès avant de partir en retraite. (You had governed this company successfully before retiring.)
  3. Ils/Elles avaient gouverné le pays d’une main de fer, mais le peuple a finalement réussi à les renverser. (They had governed the country with an iron fist, but the people eventually managed to overthrow them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais gouverné J’avais gouverné la ville. I had governed the city.
tu tu avais gouverné Tu avais gouverné la réunion. You had governed the meeting.
il il avait gouverné Il avait gouverné le pays. He had governed the country.
elle elle avait gouverné Elle avait gouverné l’entreprise. She had governed the company.
on on avait gouverné On avait gouverné la situation. One had governed the situation.
nous nous avions gouverné Nous avions gouverné la province. We had governed the province.
vous vous aviez gouverné Vous aviez gouverné la nation. You had governed the nation.
ils ils avaient gouverné Ils avaient gouverné l’équipe. They had governed the team.
elles elles avaient gouverné Elles avaient gouverné la communauté. They had governed the community.

Other Conjugations for Gouverner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb gouverner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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