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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pailler

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The English translation of the French verb pailler is “to straw.” It is pronounced “pay-ee-yay” in its infinitive form.

The word pailler comes from the Old French word “paille,” meaning straw. In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

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

  1. J’avais paillé le poulailler avant l’arrivée de la tempête. (I had strawed the chicken coop before the storm arrived.)
  2. Avant que nous ne partions en vacances, nous avions paillé le sol de la tente. (Before we left for vacation, we had strawed the floor of the tent.)
  3. Les fermiers avaient paillé les champs avant l’hiver. (The farmers had strawed the fields before winter.)

In all of these examples, pailler is used to describe the action of covering a surface or area with straw, often for insulation or protection.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais paillé J’avais paillé les champs. I had mulched the fields.
tu tu avais paillé Tu avais paillé le jardin. You had mulched the garden.
il il avait paillé Il avait paillé le potager. He had mulched the vegetable garden.
elle elle avait paillé Elle avait paillé les fleurs. She had mulched the flowers.
on on avait paillé On avait paillé le parterre. One had mulched the flower bed.
nous nous avions paillé Nous avions paillé le verger. We had mulched the orchard.
vous vous aviez paillé Vous aviez paillé la serre. You had mulched the greenhouse.
ils ils avaient paillé Ils avaient paillé les arbres. They had mulched the trees.
elles elles avaient paillé Elles avaient paillé le potager. They had mulched the vegetable garden.

Other Conjugations for Pailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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