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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb immigrer

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The English translation of the French verb immigrer is “to immigrate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ee-mee-grer.”

The language origin of immigrer can be traced back to the Latin word “immigrāre,” meaning “to go into, to enter.” This evolved into the French word “immigrer” in the 17th century.

In everyday French, immigrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of immigrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais immigré en France avant de rencontrer mon mari. (I had immigrated to France before meeting my husband.)
  2. Ils avaient immigré aux États-Unis il y a cinq ans. (They had immigrated to the United States five years ago.)
  3. Elle avait déjà immigré en Allemagne lorsqu’elle a décidé de revenir en France. (She had already immigrated to Germany when she decided to come back to France.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’étais immigré J’étais immigré lorsque j’ai vu mes parents. I had immigrated when I saw my parents.
tu tu étais immigré Tu étais immigré en Amérique. You had immigrated to America.
il il était immigré Il était immigré en France. He had immigrated to France.
elle elle était immigrée Elle était immigrée au Canada. She had immigrated to Canada.
on on était immigré On était immigré en Australie. One had immigrated to Australia.
nous nous étions immigrés Nous étions immigrés en Angleterre. We had immigrated to England.
vous vous étiez immigré Vous étiez immigré en Espagne. You had immigrated to Spain.
ils ils étaient immigrés Ils étaient immigrés en Suisse. They had immigrated to Switzerland.
elles elles étaient immigrées Elles étaient immigrées en Belgique. They had immigrated to Belgium.

Other Conjugations for Immigrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb immigrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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