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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb juger

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The English translation of the French verb juger is “to judge.” It is pronounced as “zhoo-zhay” in its infinitive form.

Juger comes from the Latin word “iudicare,” meaning “to judge.” In everyday French, it is most often used in its past tense forms, such as plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense, to express actions or events that happened before another past action.

Here are three examples of juger in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais jugé son comportement inacceptable avant de le licencier. (I had judged his behavior unacceptable before firing him.)

  2. Tu avais jugé le film ennuyeux avant même de le voir. (You had judged the movie boring even before watching it.)

  3. Ils avaient jugé que la décision était injuste et avaient décidé de protester. (They had judged the decision unfair and had decided to protest.)

In all three examples, the verb juger is used to express a judgment or opinion that had been formed before a past action. The plus-que-parfait tense adds an extra layer of past-ness, indicating that the judgment was made before another past event. In English, this tense is equivalent to the past perfect tense (had + past participle).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais jugé J’avais jugé la situation. I had judged the situation.
tu tu avais jugé Tu avais jugé le candidat. You had judged the candidate.
il il avait jugé Il avait jugé l’accusé. He had judged the accused.
elle elle avait jugé Elle avait jugé la pièce. She had judged the play.
on on avait jugé On avait jugé la performance. One had judged the performance.
nous nous avions jugé Nous avions jugé le film. We had judged the movie.
vous vous aviez jugé Vous aviez jugé le gagnant. You had judged the winner.
ils ils avaient jugé Ils avaient jugé le plaidoyer. They had judged the plea.
elles elles avaient jugé Elles avaient jugé la chanson. They had judged the song.

Other Conjugations for Juger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb juger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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