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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb malter

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The English translation of the French verb malter is “to malt.” It is pronounced “mahl-tay.”

The word malter comes from the Latin “maltere,” which means “to soften.” It is most often used in French in the context of brewing, specifically in the process of malting grains to make beer.

In everyday French, malter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the equivalent of the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action or event that occurred before another past action or event. Here are three simple examples of its usage:

  1. J’avais malté l’orge avant de la faire cuire pour la bière. (I had malted the barley before cooking it for the beer.)
  2. Tu avais malté les grains depuis deux semaines avant de les sécher. (You had malted the grains for two weeks before drying them.)
  3. Les brasseurs avaient malté les céréales avant de les moudre pour la bière. (The brewers had malted the cereals before grinding them for the beer.)

In all of these examples, the action of malting (malté) happened before another past action (faire cuire, sécher, moudre). The Plus-que-parfait tense is marked by the auxiliary verb “avoir” (had) followed by the past participle of the verb (malté).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais malté J’avais malté la bière. I had malted the beer.
tu tu avais malté Tu avais malté l’orge. You had malted the barley.
il il avait malté Il avait malté le grain. He had malted the grain.
elle elle avait malté Elle avait malté le blé. She had malted the wheat.
on on avait malté On avait malté le seigle. One had malted the rye.
nous nous avions malté Nous avions malté l’avoine. We had malted the oats.
vous vous aviez malté Vous aviez malté l’orge. You had malted the barley.
ils ils avaient malté Ils avaient malté le maïs. They had malted the corn.
elles elles avaient malté Elles avaient malté le seigle. They had malted the rye.

Other Conjugations for Malter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb malter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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