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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb périmer

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The English translation of the French verb périmer is “to expire” or “to become invalid.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “peh-ree-may.”

The word périmer comes from the Latin word “praemium,” which means “reward” or “prize.” In everyday French, périmer is most often used in its past tense form, plus-que-parfait, to indicate that something had expired or become invalid before a certain point in the past.

Example 1: J’avais oublié de payer ma facture, donc mon abonnement avait périmé. (I had forgotten to pay my bill, so my subscription had expired.)

Example 2: La garantie de mon téléphone avait périmé avant que je ne le fasse réparer. (The warranty on my phone had expired before I got it repaired.)

Example 3: Ils ont dû annuler leur voyage car leur passeport avait périmé. (They had to cancel their trip because their passport had expired.)

In all of these examples, the verb périmer is used to indicate that something had become invalid or expired in the past, before a specific event or action took place.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais périme J’avais périme le lait. I had expired the milk.
tu tu avais périme Tu avais périme les légumes. You had expired the vegetables.
il il avait périme Il avait périme la viande. He had expired the meat.
elle elle avait périme Elle avait périme le fromage. She had expired the cheese.
on on avait périme On avait périme les œufs. One had expired the eggs.
nous nous avions périme Nous avions périme les fruits. We had expired the fruits.
vous vous aviez périme Vous aviez périme le beurre. You had expired the butter.
ils ils avaient périme Ils avaient périme le yaourt. They had expired the yogurt.
elles elles avaient périme Elles avaient périme le pain. They had expired the bread.

Other Conjugations for Périmer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb périmer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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