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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb médiser

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The English translation of the French verb médiser is “to gossip” or “to spread rumors”. It is pronounced as “meh-dee-zay”.

The word médiser comes from the Latin word “mederi” meaning “to heal” or “to cure”. In Old French, it evolved to mean “to talk about someone’s illness or problems”. Over time, the meaning shifted to refer to talking about someone negatively or spreading malicious rumors.

In everyday French, médiser is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of médiser in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais médisé de mon voisin avant de le connaître. (I had gossiped about my neighbor before getting to know him.)
  2. Ils avaient médisé sur leur patron avant de le rencontrer. (They had spread rumors about their boss before meeting him.)
  3. Elle avait médisé de sa collègue avant de devenir amies. (She had talked badly about her colleague before becoming friends.)

In all of these examples, the action of médiser happened before another past action. This tense is often used to talk about past events or actions that have an impact on the present.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais médisé J’avais médisé sur mon voisin. I had gossiped about my neighbor.
tu tu avais médisé Tu avais médisé sur ta collègue. You had gossiped about your colleague.
il il avait médisé Il avait médisé sur son ami. He had gossiped about his friend.
elle elle avait médisé Elle avait médisé sur sa voisine. She had gossiped about her neighbor.
on on avait médisé On avait médisé sur le nouvel employé. One had gossiped about the new employee.
nous nous avions médisé Nous avions médisé sur nos amis. We had gossiped about our friends.
vous vous aviez médisé Vous aviez médisé sur votre patronne. You had gossiped about your boss.
ils ils avaient médisé Ils avaient médisé sur leurs voisins. They had gossiped about their neighbors.
elles elles avaient médisé Elles avaient médisé sur leurs collègues. They had gossiped about their colleagues.

Other Conjugations for Médiser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb médiser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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