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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pimenter

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The English translation of the French verb pimenter is “to spice up.” It is pronounced as “pee-man-tay.”

The word pimenter is derived from the Latin word “pimentum” meaning “spice.” In everyday French, it is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that was completed in the past and had an impact on the present.

Here are three simple examples of pimenter in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais pimenté mon plat avec du piment fort. (I had spiced up my dish with hot pepper.)
  2. Ils avaient pimenté leur soirée avec des jeux amusants. (They had spiced up their evening with fun games.)
  3. Elle avait pimenté sa tenue avec un foulard coloré. (She had spiced up her outfit with a colorful scarf.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pimenté J’avais pimenté le plat. I had spiced up the dish.
tu tu avais pimenté Tu avais pimenté ta vie. You had spiced up your life.
il il avait pimenté Il avait pimenté la sauce. He had spiced up the sauce.
elle elle avait pimenté Elle avait pimenté la conversation. She had spiced up the conversation.
on on avait pimenté On avait pimenté la soirée. One had spiced up the evening.
nous nous avions pimenté Nous avions pimenté notre relation. We had spiced up our relationship.
vous vous aviez pimenté Vous aviez pimenté l’atmosphère. You had spiced up the atmosphere.
ils ils avaient pimenté Ils avaient pimenté le plat. They had spiced up the dish.
elles elles avaient pimenté Elles avaient pimenté leur plat. They had spiced up their dish.

Other Conjugations for Pimenter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pimenter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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