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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mouiller

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The English translation of the French verb mouiller is “to wet.” It is pronounced “moo-yay.”

The language origin of mouiller comes from the Old French word “moiller,” which meant “to wet” or “to moisten.” It can be traced back to the Latin word “molliare,” which has the same meaning.

Mouiller is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about actions that were completed before another past action. For example, “I had already wet the clothes before it started raining.”

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

  1. J’avais mouillé la table avant de la nettoyer. (I had wet the table before cleaning it.)
  2. Tu avais déjà mouillé les draps avant de les mettre dans la machine à laver. (You had already wet the sheets before putting them in the washing machine.)
  3. Il avait mouillé le sol en renversant son verre d’eau. (He had wet the floor by spilling his glass of water.)

In these examples, mouiller is used in its past participle form (mouillé) to indicate that the action was completed before another past action. The Plus-que-parfait tense is often used in storytelling or recounting past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mouillé J’avais mouillé le linge. I had wet the laundry.
tu tu avais mouillé Tu avais mouillé le tapis. You had wet the carpet.
il il avait mouillé Il avait mouillé la plante. He had watered the plant.
elle elle avait mouillé Elle avait mouillé la chemise. She had wet the shirt.
on on avait mouillé On avait mouillé le sol. One had wet the floor.
nous nous avions mouillé Nous avions mouillé le jardin. We had watered the garden.
vous vous aviez mouillé Vous aviez mouillé le tapis. You had wet the carpet.
ils ils avaient mouillé Ils avaient mouillé le mur. They had wet the wall.
elles elles avaient mouillé Elles avaient mouillé la serviette. They had wet the towel.

Other Conjugations for Mouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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