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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb passionner

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The English translation of the French verb passionner is “to be passionate” or “to arouse passion.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pah-see-oh-nay.”

Passionner comes from the French word “passion,” which comes from the Latin word “passio” meaning “suffering” or “emotion.” In everyday French, passionner is used to express strong emotions or intense interest in something or someone. It can also be used to describe something that is captivating or stimulating.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English, passionner is conjugated with the auxiliary verb “avoir” and the past participle “passionné.” Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais passionné mon étude de la littérature française depuis mon adolescence. – I had been passionate about my study of French literature since my adolescence.
  2. Elle avait passionné toute l’audience avec sa performance au piano. – She had captivated the entire audience with her piano performance.
  3. Avant de rencontrer mon mari, je n’avais jamais été passionnée par les voyages. – Before meeting my husband, I had never been passionate about traveling.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais passionné J’avais passionné mon public. I had captivated my audience.
tu tu avais passionné Tu avais passionné ta famille. You had captivated your family.
il il avait passionné Il avait passionné la foule. He had captivated the crowd.
elle elle avait passionné Elle avait passionné son amour. She had captivated her lover.
on on avait passionné On avait passionné les lecteurs. One had captivated the readers.
nous nous avions passionné Nous avions passionné nos amis. We had captivated our friends.
vous vous aviez passionné Vous aviez passionné votre public. You had captivated your audience.
ils ils avaient passionné Ils avaient passionné leur équipe. They had captivated their team.
elles elles avaient passionné Elles avaient passionné leur classe. They had captivated their class.

Other Conjugations for Passionner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb passionner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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