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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb harceler

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The English translation of the French verb harceler is “to harass” or “to hound.” It is pronounced “ar-suh-lei” in its infinitive form.

The word harceler comes from the Old French word “harseler,” which means “to torment” or “to vex.” It is derived from the Latin word “harcere,” which means “to vex” or “to harass.” In everyday French, harceler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been ongoing or had been repeated in the past.

Example 1: J’avais harcelé mon voisin pendant des mois avant qu’il ne déménage. (I had been harassing my neighbor for months before he moved.)
Example 2: Elle avait harcelé son patron jusqu’à ce qu’il lui accorde une promotion. (She had been hounding her boss until he gave her a promotion.)
Example 3: Les médias avaient harcelé le chanteur pour obtenir une interview exclusive. (The media had been hounding the singer for an exclusive interview.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais harcelé J’avais harcelé mon collègue. I had harassed my colleague.
tu tu avais harcelé Tu avais harcelé ton voisin. You had harassed your neighbor.
il il avait harcelé Il avait harcelé sa collègue. He had harassed his coworker.
elle elle avait harcelé Elle avait harcelé son patron. She had harassed her boss.
on on avait harcelé On avait harcelé le voisin. One had harassed the neighbor.
nous nous avions harcelé Nous avions harcelé notre voisin. We had harassed our neighbor.
vous vous aviez harcelé Vous aviez harcelé votre collègue. You had harassed your colleague.
ils ils avaient harcelé Ils avaient harcelé leur employé. They had harassed their employee.
elles elles avaient harcelé Elles avaient harcelé leur patronne. They had harassed their female boss.

Other Conjugations for Harceler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb harceler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Harceler – 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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