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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb marmiter

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The English translation of the French verb marmiter is “to simmer” or “to cook in a pot.” It is pronounced as “mar-mee-tey” in its infinitive form.

The word marmiter comes from the French word “marmite,” meaning a cooking pot or cauldron. It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of cooking something slowly and gently in a pot.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English, marmiter is conjugated as “avais marmité” for the first and second person singular (j’avais marmité, tu avais marmité), “avait marmité” for the third person singular (il/elle avait marmité), and “avions marmité” for the first person plural (nous avions marmité). Below are three simple examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais marmité le ragoût pendant deux heures avant que mes invités n’arrivent. (I had simmered the stew for two hours before my guests arrived.)
  2. Tu avais marmité la soupe quand le téléphone a sonné. (You had been simmering the soup when the phone rang.)
  3. Les chefs avaient marmité la sauce toute la journée avant de la servir aux clients. (The chefs had been simmering the sauce all day before serving it to the customers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais marmité J’avais marmité le ragoût. I had cooked the stew.
tu tu avais marmité Tu avais marmité la soupe. You had cooked the soup.
il il avait marmité Il avait marmité le pot-au-feu. He had cooked the beef stew.
elle elle avait marmité Elle avait marmité le coq-au-vin. She had cooked the chicken in wine.
on on avait marmité On avait marmité le cassoulet. One had cooked the cassoulet.
nous nous avions marmité Nous avions marmité le bœuf bourguignon. We had cooked the beef stew.
vous vous aviez marmité Vous aviez marmité la ratatouille. You had cooked the ratatouille.
ils ils avaient marmité Ils avaient marmité le potage. They had cooked the soup.
elles elles avaient marmité Elles avaient marmité la choucroute. They had cooked the sauerkraut.

Other Conjugations for Marmiter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb marmiter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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