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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb piauler

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The English translation of the French verb piauler is “to squawk” or “to screech”. It is pronounced “pee-oh-lay”.

The language origin of piauler can be traced back to the Old French word “pioler” which meant “to chirp”. It derives from the Latin word “pipire” meaning “to peep or chirp”.

In everyday French, piauler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect tense) to indicate an action that was completed before another past action. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and adding the past participle “piaulé”.

Three simple examples of piauler in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais piaulé toute la nuit avant que mes parents ne rentrent. (I had squawked all night before my parents came home.)

  2. Tu avais piaulé tellement fort que le bébé s’est réveillé. (You had screeched so loudly that the baby woke up.)

  3. Ils avaient piaulé depuis des heures quand le soleil s’est levé. (They had been squawking for hours when the sun rose.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais piaulé J’avais piaulé toute la nuit. I had chirped all night.
tu tu avais piaulé Tu avais piaulé depuis l’aube. You had chirped since dawn.
il il avait piaulé Il avait piaulé dans le jardin. He had chirped in the garden.
elle elle avait piaulé Elle avait piaulé sur la branche. She had chirped on the branch.
on on avait piaulé On avait piaulé toute la journée. One had chirped all day.
nous nous avions piaulé Nous avions piaulé dans la forêt. We had chirped in the forest.
vous vous aviez piaulé Vous aviez piaulé sur la terrasse. You had chirped on the terrace.
ils ils avaient piaulé Ils avaient piaulé dans le parc. They had chirped in the park.
elles elles avaient piaulé Elles avaient piaulé sur le toit. They had chirped on the roof.

Other Conjugations for Piauler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb piauler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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