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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb piailler

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The English translation of the French verb piailler is “to chatter” or “to squawk.” The infinitive form of piailler is pronounced as “pee-ay-yay.”

Piailler comes from the Old French word “piaille,” meaning “chattering” or “babbling.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of making high-pitched or incessant noises, similar to the sounds made by birds. In the plus-que-parfait tense, piailler is used to describe an action that had been ongoing or had been completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais déjà fini de manger quand les oiseaux ont commencé à piailler. (I had already finished eating when the birds started chattering.)
  2. Il avait passé toute la journée à piailler au téléphone. (He had spent the whole day chattering on the phone.)
  3. Nous avions piaillé pendant des heures avant de nous rendre compte que le micro était éteint. (We had been squawking for hours before realizing that the microphone was turned off.)

English translations:

  1. I had already finished eating when the birds started chattering.
  2. He had spent the whole day chattering on the phone.
  3. We had been squawking for hours before realizing that the microphone was turned off.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais piaillé J’avais piaillé toute la journée. I had squawked all day.
tu tu avais piaillé Tu avais piaillé près de la fenêtre. You had squawked near the window.
il il avait piaillé Il avait piaillé avec les oiseaux. He had squawked with the birds.
elle elle avait piaillé Elle avait piaillé en mangeant. She had squawked while eating.
on on avait piaillé On avait piaillé toute la nuit. One had squawked all night.
nous nous avions piaillé Nous avions piaillé sur la terrasse. We had squawked on the terrace.
vous vous aviez piaillé Vous aviez piaillé pendant le dîner. You had squawked during dinner.
ils ils avaient piaillé Ils avaient piaillé dans le parc. They had squawked in the park.
elles elles avaient piaillé Elles avaient piaillé tout l’après-midi. They had squawked all afternoon.

Other Conjugations for Piailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb piailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Piailler – 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.

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