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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb marier

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The English translation of the French verb marier is “to marry.” The infinitive form of marier is pronounced “mah-ree-ay.”

Marier comes from the Latin word “maritare,” meaning “to marry.” It is most often used in everyday French to talk about the act of getting married or the state of being married. It can also be used in a more general sense to mean “to unite” or “to combine.”

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

  1. J’avais déjà marie ma sœur quand elle a décidé de se séparer de son mari. (I had already married my sister when she decided to leave her husband.)

  2. Ils avaient marie leurs talents pour créer une entreprise prospère. (They had united their talents to create a successful business.)

  3. Tu avais marie les saveurs parfaitement dans ce plat. (You had combined the flavors perfectly in this dish.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais marié J’avais marié mon frère avec sa fiancée. I had married my brother to his fiancée.
tu tu avais marié Tu avais marié ton ami avec sa femme. You had married your friend to his wife.
il il avait marié Il avait marié son fils avec sa belle-fille. He had married his son to his daughter-in-law.
elle elle avait marié Elle avait marié sa fille avec son gendre. She had married her daughter to her son-in-law.
on on avait marié On avait marié notre fille avec son conjoint. One had married our daughter to her spouse.
nous nous avions marié Nous avions marié notre cousin avec sa cousine. We had married our cousin to his cousin.
vous vous aviez marié Vous aviez marié vos enfants entre eux. You had married your children to each other.
ils ils avaient marié Ils avaient marié leurs enfants avec leurs beaux-parents. They had married their children to their in-laws.
elles elles avaient marié Elles avaient marié leurs fils avec leurs belles-filles. They had married their sons to their daughters-in-law.

Other Conjugations for Marier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb marier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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