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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb persécuter

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The English translation of the French verb persécuter is “to persecute.” It is pronounced as “pehr-seh-koo-teh.”

The word persécuter comes from the Latin word “persecutus,” which means “pursued” or “chased.” It is commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of harassing, oppressing, or mistreating someone because of their beliefs, race, or social status.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, persécuter is used to talk about actions or events that happened in the past before another past action or event. This tense is typically formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of persécuter.

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

  1. J’avais persécuté mes voisins à cause de leur religion. (I had persecuted my neighbors because of their religion.)
  2. Tu avais persécuté ton collègue à cause de sa couleur de peau. (You had persecuted your colleague because of his skin color.)
  3. Il avait persécuté ses employés à cause de leur orientation sexuelle. (He had persecuted his employees because of their sexual orientation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais persécuté J’avais persécuté mon frère. I had persecuted my brother.
tu tu avais persécuté Tu avais persécuté cette personne. You had persecuted this person.
il il avait persécuté Il avait persécuté son voisin. He had persecuted his neighbor.
elle elle avait persécuté Elle avait persécuté ses ennemis. She had persecuted her enemies.
on on avait persécuté On avait persécuté les minorités. One had persecuted minorities.
nous nous avions persécuté Nous avions persécuté les hérétiques. We had persecuted heretics.
vous vous aviez persécuté Vous aviez persécuté les croyants. You had persecuted believers.
ils ils avaient persécuté Ils avaient persécuté les Juifs. They had persecuted Jews.
elles elles avaient persécuté Elles avaient persécuté les chrétiennes. They had persecuted Christians.

Other Conjugations for Persécuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb persécuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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