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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb hiverner

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The English translation of the French verb hiverner is “to hibernate.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ee-vee-nair.”

The word hiverner comes from the French word “hiver,” meaning “winter.” It is typically used in everyday French to describe the act of animals or plants taking shelter during the winter season. In the Plus-que-parfait tense, hiverner is used to describe an action that occurred in the past and was completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais hiverné mes plantes avant de partir en vacances. (I had hibernated my plants before leaving for vacation.)
  2. Les ours avaient hiverné dans leur tanière avant de sortir au printemps. (The bears had hibernated in their den before coming out in the spring.)
  3. Les oiseaux avaient hiverné dans les arbres avant de migrer vers le sud. (The birds had hibernated in the trees before migrating south.)

Translations:

  1. I had hibernated my plants before leaving for vacation.
  2. The bears had hibernated in their den before coming out in the spring.
  3. The birds had hibernated in the trees before migrating south.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais hiverné J’avais hiverné en Suisse. I had wintered in Switzerland.
tu tu avais hiverné Tu avais hiverné en montagne. You had wintered in the mountains.
il il avait hiverné Il avait hiverné dans une cabane. He had wintered in a cabin.
elle elle avait hiverné Elle avait hiverné dans une maison. She had wintered in a house.
on on avait hiverné On avait hiverné à la campagne. One had wintered in the countryside.
nous nous avions hiverné Nous avions hiverné en Europe. We had wintered in Europe.
vous vous aviez hiverné Vous aviez hiverné en Afrique. You had wintered in Africa.
ils ils avaient hiverné Ils avaient hiverné dans un chalet. They had wintered in a chalet.
elles elles avaient hiverné Elles avaient hiverné en Amérique. They had wintered in America.

Other Conjugations for Hiverner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb hiverner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hiverner – 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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