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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mâcher

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The English translation of the French verb mâcher is “to chew.” It is pronounced “mah-shay.”

The language origin of mâcher can be traced back to the Latin word “masticare,” which also means “to chew.” In everyday French, mâcher 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.

Example 1: J’avais mâché un chewing-gum avant de partir. (I had chewed a gum before leaving.)
Example 2: Nous avions mâché de la viande pendant le dîner. (We had chewed meat during dinner.)
Example 3: Ils avaient mâché du chewing-gum toute la journée. (They had chewed gum all day long.)

These sentences all use the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that was completed before another past action. In the first example, the action of chewing gum was completed before the person left. In the second example, the action of chewing meat was completed before dinner. And in the third example, the action of chewing gum was completed before the end of the day.

English translations:
Example 1: I had chewed a gum before leaving.
Example 2: We had chewed meat during dinner.
Example 3: They had chewed gum all day long.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mâché J’avais mâché du chewing-gum. I had chewed gum.
tu tu avais mâché Tu avais mâché la viande. You had chewed the meat.
il il avait mâché Il avait mâché le morceau de pain. He had chewed the piece of bread.
elle elle avait mâché Elle avait mâché son repas. She had chewed her meal.
on on avait mâché On avait mâché un bonbon. One had chewed a candy.
nous nous avions mâché Nous avions mâché du chewing-gum. We had chewed gum.
vous vous aviez mâché Vous aviez mâché un morceau de viande. You had chewed a piece of meat.
ils ils avaient mâché Ils avaient mâché du pain. They had chewed bread.
elles elles avaient mâché Elles avaient mâché des légumes. They had chewed vegetables.

Other Conjugations for Mâcher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mâcher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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