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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pétouiller

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The English translation of the French verb pétouiller is “to fiddle with” or “to fidget.” It is pronounced as “peh-too-yay.”

Pétouiller comes from the French word “petouil,” meaning “to move around restlessly.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe someone who is fiddling with something or unable to sit still. In the Plus-que-parfait tense, it indicates an action that occurred before another past action or time.

Example 1: Tu pétouillais ton stylo pendant que le professeur parlait. (You were fiddling with your pen while the teacher was speaking.)

Example 2: Elle avait pétouillé avec ses cheveux avant de se mettre en route. (She had fidgeted with her hair before setting off.)

Example 3: Nous avions pétouillé avec nos bagages avant de quitter l’hôtel. (We had fiddled with our luggage before leaving the hotel.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pétouillé J’avais pétouillé dans mon bain. I had splashed in my bath.
tu tu avais pétouillé Tu avais pétouillé dans la piscine. You had splashed in the pool.
il il avait pétouillé Il avait pétouillé dans la rivière. He had splashed in the river.
elle elle avait pétouillé Elle avait pétouillé dans le lac. She had splashed in the lake.
on on avait pétouillé On avait pétouillé dans la mer. One had splashed in the sea.
nous nous avions pétouillé Nous avions pétouillé dans la fontaine. We had splashed in the fountain.
vous vous aviez pétouillé Vous aviez pétouillé dans la rivière. You had splashed in the river.
ils ils avaient pétouillé Ils avaient pétouillé dans le lac. They had splashed in the lake.
elles elles avaient pétouillé Elles avaient pétouillé dans la mer. They had splashed in the sea.

Other Conjugations for Pétouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pétouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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