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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb passiver

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The English translation of the French verb passiver is “to be passive.” It is pronounced as “pa-see-vay.”

The word passiver comes from the French word “passif” meaning passive, which in turn comes from the Latin word “passivus” meaning submissive or acted upon.

In everyday French, the verb passiver is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that had already been completed before another past action or time.

Here are three simple examples of using passiver in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais été passif pendant toute la réunion. (I had been passive during the entire meeting.)
  2. Elle m’avait toujours passivé jusqu’à ce que je prenne mes propres décisions. (She had always been making me passive until I started making my own decisions.)
  3. Nous avions été passifs face à cette injustice. (We had been passive in the face of this injustice.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais passivé J’avais passivé mon comportement. I had made my behavior passive.
tu tu avais passivé Tu avais passivé ta réponse. You had made your response passive.
il il avait passivé Il avait passivé sa réaction. He had made his reaction passive.
elle elle avait passivé Elle avait passivé sa voix. She had made her voice passive.
on on avait passivé On avait passivé son attitude. One had made one’s attitude passive.
nous nous avions passivé Nous avions passivé notre comportement. We had made our behavior passive.
vous vous aviez passivé Vous aviez passivé votre réponse. You had made your response passive.
ils ils avaient passivé Ils avaient passivé leur réaction. They had made their reaction passive.
elles elles avaient passivé Elles avaient passivé leur voix. They had made their voice passive.

Other Conjugations for Passiver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb passiver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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