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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mémériser

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The English translation of the French verb mémériser is “to memorize.” It is pronounced “may-may-ree-zay.”

The word mémériser is a combination of the French words “mémé” meaning “grandmother” and “répéter” meaning “to repeat.” This verb is used to describe the action of consciously learning and retaining information in the memory.

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

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

  1. J’avais mémérisé toutes les règles de grammaire avant le test. (I had memorized all the grammar rules before the test.)

  2. Tu avais mémérisé ton discours avant le discours. (You had memorized your speech before the presentation.)

  3. Elle avait mémérisé toutes les réponses pour l’examen. (She had memorized all the answers for the exam.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mémérisé J’avais mémérisé toutes les règles. I had memorized all the rules.
tu tu avais mémérisé Tu avais mémérisé le vocabulaire. You had memorized the vocabulary.
il il avait mémérisé Il avait mémérisé la leçon. He had memorized the lesson.
elle elle avait mémérisé Elle avait mémérisé les expressions. She had memorized the expressions.
on on avait mémérisé On avait mémérisé les conjugaisons. One had memorized the conjugations.
nous nous avions mémérisé Nous avions mémérisé toutes les règles. We had memorized all the rules.
vous vous aviez mémérisé Vous aviez mémérisé le vocabulaire. You had memorized the vocabulary.
ils ils avaient mémérisé Ils avaient mémérisé les règles. They had memorized the rules.
elles elles avaient mémérisé Elles avaient mémérisé les expressions. They had memorized the expressions.

Other Conjugations for Mémériser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mémériser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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