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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mégoter

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The English translation of the French verb mégoter is “to haggle” or “to quibble.” It is pronounced “may-go-tay” in the infinitive form.

The word mégoter comes from the Old French verb magoter, which meant “to babble” or “to prattle.” Over time, its meaning evolved to refer to someone who is overly concerned with small details, especially when it comes to money and negotiations.

In everyday French, mégoter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates an action that happened before another action in the past. It is used to talk about past events that were already completed at a specific point in the past.

Here are three examples of how mégoter is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais déjà acheté la voiture, mais le vendeur a mégoté sur le prix. (I had already bought the car, but the salesman had haggled on the price.)

  2. Nous avions signé le contrat, mais l’autre partie a mégoté sur certains détails. (We had signed the contract, but the other party had quibbled over certain details.)

  3. Vous aviez promis de ne pas mégoter sur les dépenses, mais vous avez quand même essayé de négocier un meilleur prix. (You had promised not to haggle over expenses, but you still tried to negotiate a better price.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mégoté J’avais mégoté sur les prix. I had haggled over the prices.
tu tu avais mégoté Tu avais mégoté sur la qualité. You had haggled over the quality.
il il avait mégoté Il avait mégoté sur le paiement. He had haggled over the payment.
elle elle avait mégoté Elle avait mégoté sur la quantité. She had haggled over the quantity.
on on avait mégoté On avait mégoté sur le prix. One had haggled over the price.
nous nous avions mégoté Nous avions mégoté sur les tarifs. We had haggled over the rates.
vous vous aviez mégoté Vous aviez mégoté sur le contrat. You had haggled over the contract.
ils ils avaient mégoté Ils avaient mégoté sur le salaire. They had haggled over the salary.
elles elles avaient mégoté Elles avaient mégoté sur le prix. They had haggled over the price.

Other Conjugations for Mégoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mégoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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