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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb harasser

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The English translation of the French verb harasser is “to harass.” The infinitive form, harasser, is pronounced “ah-ra-say.”

The origin of the word “harasser” can be traced back to the Old French word “harier,” meaning “to set a dog on,” which came from the Germanic word “herian,” meaning “to call, cry out.” In everyday French, harasser is used to describe the act of persistently bothering or annoying someone.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, harasser is used to describe actions that had been ongoing or repeated in the past. Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais été harcelé par mon voisin tous les jours. – I had been harassed by my neighbor every day.
  2. Tu avais été harcelée par ton patron avant de démissionner. – You had been harassed by your boss before quitting.
  3. Ils avaient été harcelés par des appels téléphoniques incessants. – They had been harassed by constant phone calls.

English translations:

  1. I had been harassed by my neighbor every day.
  2. You had been harassed by your boss before quitting.
  3. They had been harassed by constant phone calls.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais harcelé J’avais harcelé mes collègues. I had harassed my colleagues.
tu tu avais harcelé Tu avais harcelé ton voisin. You had harassed your neighbor.
il il avait harcelé Il avait harcelé son ex-petite amie. He had harassed his ex-girlfriend.
elle elle avait harcelé Elle avait harcelé son patron. She had harassed her boss.
on on avait harcelé On avait harcelé les témoins. One had harassed the witnesses.
nous nous avions harcelé Nous avions harcelé les étudiants. We had harassed the students.
vous vous aviez harcelé Vous aviez harcelé vos employés. You had harassed your employees.
ils ils avaient harcelé Ils avaient harcelé leur collègue. They had harassed their colleague.
elles elles avaient harcelé Elles avaient harcelé leur amie. They had harassed their friend.

Other Conjugations for Harasser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb harasser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Harasser – 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.

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