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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb mouver

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The English translation of the French verb mouver is “to move.” It is pronounced as “moo-vay.”

The word mouver comes from the Old French word “mover,” which means “to move, to stir.” It can also be traced back to the Latin word “movēre.” In everyday French, mouver is typically used in its infinitive form, “mouvoir,” which means “to move.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, mouver is used to express a past action that was completed before another past action. For example:

  1. J’avais déjà mouver la table avant que tu arrives. (I had already moved the table before you arrived.)
  2. Nous avions mouver les meubles avant de nettoyer la pièce. (We had moved the furniture before cleaning the room.)
  3. Ils avaient mouver le vieux bateau avant de le réparer. (They had moved the old boat before repairing it.)

Overall, mouver is a versatile verb that can be used in various tenses and forms to express movement or action. It is commonly used in everyday French and is an essential verb to know for speaking and understanding the language.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais mouvé J’avais mouvé le meuble. I had moved the furniture.
tu tu avais mouvé Tu avais mouvé le tapis. You had moved the rug.
il il avait mouvé Il avait mouvé la chaise. He had moved the chair.
elle elle avait mouvé Elle avait mouvé la table. She had moved the table.
on on avait mouvé On avait mouvé le lit. One had moved the bed.
nous nous avions mouvé Nous avions mouvé les meubles. We had moved the furniture.
vous vous aviez mouvé Vous aviez mouvé les cartons. You had moved the boxes.
ils ils avaient mouvé Ils avaient mouvé les plantes. They had moved the plants.
elles elles avaient mouvé Elles avaient mouvé le canapé. They had moved the couch.

Other Conjugations for Mouver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb mouver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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