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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mimer

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The English translation of the French verb mimer is “to mime.” It is pronounced “mee-may.”

Mimer comes from the Latin word “mimus” meaning “mime, actor” and entered the French language in the 19th century.

In everyday French, mimer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense (pluperfect tense) to indicate an action that had already been completed in the past before another action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense (imperfect tense) followed by the past participle of mimer, which is “mimé.”

3 examples of usage of mimer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais déjà mimé son geste avant qu’il ne le fasse. (I had already mimed his gesture before he did it.)
  2. Ils étaient venus voir mon spectacle après que j’eusse mimé la scène finale. (They came to see my show after I had mimed the final scene.)
  3. Elle m’avait demandé de ne pas mimer ses paroles pendant la représentation. (She had asked me not to mime her lines during the performance.)

Translated to English, these sentences would be:

  1. I had already mimed his gesture before he did it.
  2. They came to see my show after I had mimed the final scene.
  3. She had asked me not to mime her lines during the performance.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mimé J’avais mimé mon personnage. I had mimed my character.
tu tu avais mimé Tu avais mimé ta réplique. You had mimed your line.
il il avait mimé Il avait mimé le mouvement. He had mimed the movement.
elle elle avait mimé Elle avait mimé la chanson. She had mimed the song.
on on avait mimé On avait mimé la scène. One had mimed the scene.
nous nous avions mimé Nous avions mimé la danse. We had mimed the dance.
vous vous aviez mimé Vous aviez mimé le discours. You had mimed the speech.
ils ils avaient mimé Ils avaient mimé la comédie. They had mimed the comedy.
elles elles avaient mimé Elles avaient mimé le dialogue. They had mimed the dialogue.

Other Conjugations for Mimer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mimer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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