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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb piocher

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The English translation of the French verb piocher is “to dig” or “to pick”. The infinitive form is pronounced “pyo-shay”.

Piocher comes from the Latin word “pilotare” which means to guide or steer. It entered the French language in the 14th century with the meaning of “to pierce” or “to make a hole”. Over time, the meaning evolved to also include digging or picking up items. In everyday French, piocher is often used in the context of manual labor, gardening, or picking up objects.

Examples of piocher in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais pioché dans mon jardin toute la journée avant de m’écrouler de fatigue. (I had been digging in my garden all day before collapsing from exhaustion.)
  2. Tu avais pioché dans la terre pour trouver des vers de terre pour la pêche. (You had been picking in the soil to find worms for fishing.)
  3. Elle avait pioché des fruits mûrs dans le verger pour faire une tarte. (She had picked ripe fruits from the orchard to make a pie.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pioché J’avais pioché une carte. I had drawn a card.
tu tu avais pioché Tu avais pioché une carte. You had drawn a card.
il il avait pioché Il avait pioché une carte. He had drawn a card.
elle elle avait pioché Elle avait pioché une carte. She had drawn a card.
on on avait pioché On avait pioché une carte. One had drawn a card.
nous nous avions pioché Nous avions pioché une carte. We had drawn a card.
vous vous aviez pioché Vous aviez pioché une carte. You had drawn a card.
ils ils avaient pioché Ils avaient pioché une carte. They had drawn a card.
elles elles avaient pioché Elles avaient pioché une carte. They had drawn a card.

Other Conjugations for Piocher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb piocher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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