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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb minuter

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The English translation of the French verb minuter is “to minute.” It is pronounced “mee-nuh-tay.”

Minuter comes from the French word “minute,” meaning “minute” or “minute hand.” In everyday French, minuter 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 past action.

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

  1. J’avais minuté toutes les étapes avant de commencer la recette. (I had timed all the steps before starting the recipe.)

  2. Nous avions minuté chaque joueur pour s’assurer qu’ils étaient prêts pour le match. (We had timed each player to make sure they were ready for the game.)

  3. Ils avaient minuté leurs voyages pour pouvoir profiter au maximum de chaque destination. (They had timed their trips to make the most of each destination.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais minuté J’avais minuté le temps. I had timed the time.
tu tu avais minuté Tu avais minuté l’épreuve. You had timed the test.
il il avait minuté Il avait minuté le match. He had timed the game.
elle elle avait minuté Elle avait minuté l’entretien. She had timed the interview.
on on avait minuté On avait minuté la réunion. One had timed the meeting.
nous nous avions minuté Nous avions minuté le trajet. We had timed the journey.
vous vous aviez minuté Vous aviez minuté la conférence. You had timed the conference.
ils ils avaient minuté Ils avaient minuté le voyage. They had timed the trip.
elles elles avaient minuté Elles avaient minuté la course. They had timed the race.

Other Conjugations for Minuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb minuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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