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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb parloter

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The English translation of the French verb parloter is “to chatter” or “to chat”. It is pronounced as “par-loh-tey” in its infinitive form.

The word parloter comes from the Old French word parlot, which means “chatter” or “idle talk”. It is derived from the Latin word parabola, meaning “comparison” or “parable”.

In everyday French, parloter is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that happened before another action in the past. It is typically used to talk about an event that occurred in the past and was completed before another event.

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

  1. Hier soir, nous avions parloté pendant des heures. (Last night, we had chatted for hours.)
  2. Ils avaient parloté avant que je ne les rejoigne. (They had chatted before I joined them.)
  3. J’avais parloté avec mes amis avant de me coucher. (I had chatted with my friends before going to bed.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais parlotté J’avais parlotté avec mes amis. I had chatted with my friends.
tu tu avais parlotté Tu avais parlotté toute la nuit. You had chatted all night.
il il avait parlotté Il avait parlotté avec sa famille. He had chatted with his family.
elle elle avait parlotté Elle avait parlotté avec son collègue. She had chatted with her colleague.
on on avait parlotté On avait parlotté pendant des heures. One had chatted for hours.
nous nous avions parlotté Nous avions parlotté de nos vacances. We had chatted about our vacations.
vous vous aviez parlotté Vous aviez parlotté de vos projets. You had chatted about your plans.
ils ils avaient parlotté Ils avaient parlotté de leur travail. They had chatted about their work.
elles elles avaient parlotté Elles avaient parlotté de leur week-end. They had chatted about their weekend.

Other Conjugations for Parloter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb parloter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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