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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ignorer

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The English translation of “ignorer” is “to ignore” and it is pronounced as “ee-gnaw-ray” in its infinitive form.

The French verb “ignorer” comes from the Latin word “ignorare” which means “to not know, to be unaware of.” It is most often used in everyday French to express the action of not paying attention to something or someone, or to not have knowledge or information about something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “ignorer” is conjugated with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle “ignoré” to indicate an action that was completed in the past before another action took place.

Here are three simple examples of “ignorer” in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Ils avaient ignoré mes avertissements. (They had ignored my warnings.)
  2. Elle avait ignoré ses devoirs et avait préféré sortir avec ses amis. (She had ignored her duties and had preferred to go out with her friends.)
  3. J’avais ignoré que c’était son anniversaire et je lui avais offert un cadeau inapproprié. (I had ignored that it was his birthday and I had given him an inappropriate gift.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais ignoré J’avais ignoré ses conseils. I had ignored his advice.
tu tu avais ignoré Tu avais ignoré la réponse. You had ignored the answer.
il il avait ignoré Il avait ignoré la question. He had ignored the question.
elle elle avait ignoré Elle avait ignoré le message. She had ignored the message.
on on avait ignoré On avait ignoré les règles. One had ignored the rules.
nous nous avions ignoré Nous avions ignoré les erreurs. We had ignored the mistakes.
vous vous aviez ignoré Vous aviez ignoré les problèmes. You had ignored the problems.
ils ils avaient ignoré Ils avaient ignoré les avertissements. They had ignored the warnings.
elles elles avaient ignoré Elles avaient ignoré les instructions. They had ignored the instructions.

Other Conjugations for Ignorer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ignorer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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