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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb négliger

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The English translation of the French verb négliger is “to neglect” or “to ignore.” It is pronounced as “nay-glee-zhay.”

The word négliger comes from the Latin word “neglectare,” which means “to neglect.” In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to express an action that occurred before another past action.

Three simple examples of négliger in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais négligé mon devoir et je n’avais pas eu une bonne note. (I had neglected my homework and I had not received a good grade.)

  2. Tu avais négligé de fermer la porte à clé avant de partir. (You had neglected to lock the door before leaving.)

  3. Ils avaient négligé de prendre en compte les besoins des citoyens. (They had neglected to take into account the needs of the citizens.)

English translations:

  1. I had neglected my duty and I had not received a good grade.

  2. You had neglected to lock the door before leaving.

  3. They had neglected to take into account the needs of the citizens.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais négligé J’avais négligé mes devoirs. I had neglected my homework.
tu tu avais négligé Tu avais négligé tes responsabilités. You had neglected your responsibilities.
il il avait négligé Il avait négligé son apparence. He had neglected his appearance.
elle elle avait négligé Elle avait négligé sa santé. She had neglected her health.
on on avait négligé On avait négligé cette tâche. One had neglected this task.
nous nous avions négligé Nous avions négligé notre jardin. We had neglected our garden.
vous vous aviez négligé Vous aviez négligé vos finances. You had neglected your finances.
ils ils avaient négligé Ils avaient négligé leur travail. They had neglected their work.
elles elles avaient négligé Elles avaient négligé leurs devoirs. They had neglected their duties.

Other Conjugations for Négliger.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb négliger
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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