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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb picoter

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The English translation of the French verb picoter is “to peck” or “to prick.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “pee-ko-tay.”

Picoter comes from the Old French word “picoquier” which means “to prick” or “to sting.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of repeatedly pricking or pecking at something, like a bird pecking at seeds or a mosquito biting someone.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect tense), picoter is used to describe an action that had happened before another past action or point in time. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais picoté le bouton rouge avant d’appuyer dessus. (I had pricked the red button before pressing it.)
  2. Nous avions picoté le visage de notre ami pendant qu’il dormait. (We had pecked at our friend’s face while he was sleeping.)
  3. Les abeilles avaient picoté toutes les fleurs du jardin avant que je puisse les photographier. (The bees had pricked all the flowers in the garden before I could take pictures of them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais picoté J’avais picoté le citron. I had dotted the lemon.
tu tu avais picoté Tu avais picoté le tissu. You had pricked the fabric.
il il avait picoté Il avait picoté l’oiseau. He had pecked the bird.
elle elle avait picoté Elle avait picoté la feuille. She had dotted the leaf.
on on avait picoté On avait picoté la toile. One had dotted the canvas.
nous nous avions picoté Nous avions picoté les fruits. We had dotted the fruits.
vous vous aviez picoté Vous aviez picoté le papier. You had dotted the paper.
ils ils avaient picoté Ils avaient picoté le tapis. They had dotted the rug.
elles elles avaient picoté Elles avaient picoté la surface. They had dotted the surface.

Other Conjugations for Picoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb picoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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