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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb léguer

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The English translation of the French verb léguer is “to bequeath” or “to leave (as a legacy)”. It is pronounced as “lay-guh-ay” in its infinitive form.

The word léguer comes from the Latin verb “legare”, which means “to bequeath” or “to leave”. It is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action.

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

  1. J’avais légué ma collection de livres à ma petite-fille. (I had bequeathed my book collection to my granddaughter.)
  2. Les parents avaient légué leur maison à leurs enfants. (The parents had left their house to their children.)
  3. Elle avait légué ses bijoux à une association caritative. (She had bequeathed her jewelry to a charitable organization.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais légué J’avais légué mes biens à mes enfants. I had bequeathed my possessions to my children.
tu tu avais légué Tu avais légué ta collection à ton frère. You had bequeathed your collection to your brother.
il il avait légué Il avait légué sa fortune à une association. He had bequeathed his fortune to an organization.
elle elle avait légué Elle avait légué ses bijoux à sa petite-fille. She had bequeathed her jewels to her granddaughter.
on on avait légué On avait légué la maison à ses enfants. One had bequeathed the house to their children.
nous nous avions légué Nous avions légué notre propriété à notre fille. We had bequeathed our property to our daughter.
vous vous aviez légué Vous aviez légué votre héritage à une association. You had bequeathed your inheritance to an organization.
ils ils avaient légué Ils avaient légué leur terre à un ami. They had bequeathed their land to a friend.
elles elles avaient légué Elles avaient légué leur argent à une œuvre de charité. They had bequeathed their money to a charity.

Other Conjugations for Léguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb léguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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