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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb périphraser

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The English translation of the French verb périphraser is “to paraphrase.” It is pronounced as “pea-ree-fra-zay” in its infinitive form.

Périphraser comes from the Greek word “peri” meaning “around” and “phrasis” meaning “speech.” In French, it is primarily used to describe the act of using different words or expressions to explain something in a different way.

In everyday French, périphraser is commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is used to describe an action that had already been completed before another action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais périphrasé sa réponse pour qu’elle soit plus compréhensible. (I had paraphrased her response to make it more understandable.)
  2. Ils avaient périphrasé le problème jusqu’à ce que je comprenne enfin. (They had paraphrased the problem until I finally understood.)
  3. Elle avait périphrasé son excuse pour qu’elle paraisse plus plausible. (She had paraphrased her excuse to make it seem more plausible.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais périphrasé J’avais périphrasé mon discours. I had paraphrased my speech.
tu tu avais périphrasé Tu avais périphrasé ta réponse. You had paraphrased your answer.
il il avait périphrasé Il avait périphrasé sa question. He had paraphrased his question.
elle elle avait périphrasé Elle avait périphrasé son argument. She had paraphrased her argument.
on on avait périphrasé On avait périphrasé notre thèse. One had paraphrased our thesis.
nous nous avions périphrasé Nous avions périphrasé notre argumentation. We had paraphrased our argumentation.
vous vous aviez périphrasé Vous aviez périphrasé votre réponse. You had paraphrased your answer.
ils ils avaient périphrasé Ils avaient périphrasé leur discours. They had paraphrased their speech.
elles elles avaient périphrasé Elles avaient périphrasé leur argumentation. They had paraphrased their argumentation.

Other Conjugations for Périphraser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb périphraser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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