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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb impulser

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The English translation of the French verb impulser is “to impel” or “to spur”. The infinitive form, impulser, is pronounced as “ahn-pul-say”.

The word impulser comes from the Latin word “impulsare”, meaning “to push” or “to urge”. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Examples of impulser in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Je m’étais implulé à améliorer mes compétences en français. (I had been impelled to improve my French skills.)
  2. Tu t’étais impulé à poursuivre tes études en médecine. (You had been impelled to pursue your studies in medicine.)
  3. Il s’était impulé à changer de carrière. (He had been impelled to change careers.)

English translations:

  1. I had been impelled to improve my French skills.
  2. You had been impelled to pursue your studies in medicine.
  3. He had been impelled to change careers.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais impulsé J’avais impulsé un changement. I had instigated a change.
tu tu avais impulsé Tu avais impulsé une idée. You had suggested an idea.
il il avait impulsé Il avait impulsé une dynamique. He had initiated a dynamic.
elle elle avait impulsé Elle avait impulsé une réforme. She had pushed for a reform.
on on avait impulsé On avait impulsé une innovation. One had sparked an innovation.
nous nous avions impulsé Nous avions impulsé un projet. We had propelled a project.
vous vous aviez impulsé Vous aviez impulsé une politique. You had championed a policy.
ils ils avaient impulsé Ils avaient impulsé une stratégie. They had implemented a strategy.
elles elles avaient impulsé Elles avaient impulsé une campagne. They had launched a campaign.

Other Conjugations for Impulser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb impulser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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