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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb percer

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The English translation of the French verb percer is “to pierce” or “to drill.” It is pronounced as “pehr-say” in the infinitive form.

The word percer comes from the Latin word “percutere,” meaning “to strike through,” and has been used in French since the 12th century.

In everyday French, percer is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to express an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three examples of percer in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais percé un trou dans le mur avant que ma mère rentre à la maison. (I had drilled a hole in the wall before my mother came back home.)

  2. Quand j’ai trouvé le collier, il avait déjà percé ma peau. (When I found the necklace, it had already pierced my skin.)

  3. Ils avaient percé la glace pour pêcher, mais le poisson était déjà parti. (They had drilled a hole in the ice to fish, but the fish had already left.)

In these examples, the action of drilling/piercing was completed before another past action (mother coming home, finding the necklace, and the fish leaving).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais percé J’avais percé le mur. I had pierced the wall.
tu tu avais percé Tu avais percé le papier. You had pierced the paper.
il il avait percé Il avait percé le ballon. He had pierced the ball.
elle elle avait percé Elle avait percé la pomme. She had pierced the apple.
on on avait percé On avait percé le pneu. One had pierced the tire.
nous nous avions percé Nous avions percé le tissu. We had pierced the fabric.
vous vous aviez percé Vous aviez percé le métal. You had pierced the metal.
ils ils avaient percé Ils avaient percé la bouteille. They had pierced the bottle.
elles elles avaient percé Elles avaient percé le sac. They had pierced the bag.

Other Conjugations for Percer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb percer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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