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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pioncer

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The English translation of the French verb pioncer is “to doze off” or “to fall asleep.” It is pronounced as [pyɔ̃se] in its infinitive form.

The origin of the word pioncer is uncertain, but it may come from the Latin word “punctiare,” meaning “to prick” or “to make a hole,” possibly referring to falling into a deep sleep. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Examples:

  1. J’avais pioncé pendant une heure avant que mon réveil sonne. (I had dozed off for an hour before my alarm went off.)

  2. Tu avais pioncé sur le canapé quand je suis rentré. (You had fallen asleep on the couch when I came home.)

  3. Ils avaient pioncé toute la nuit après la fête. (They had slept through the whole night after the party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pioncé J’avais pioncé pendant des heures. I had slept for hours.
tu tu avais pioncé Tu avais pioncé toute la nuit. You had slept all night.
il il avait pioncé Il avait pioncé sur le canapé. He had slept on the couch.
elle elle avait pioncé Elle avait pioncé chez sa sœur. She had slept at her sister’s.
on on avait pioncé On avait pioncé dans la tente. One had slept in the tent.
nous nous avions pioncé Nous avions pioncé à l’hôtel. We had slept at the hotel.
vous vous aviez pioncé Vous aviez pioncé dans la voiture. You had slept in the car.
ils ils avaient pioncé Ils avaient pioncé dans le parc. They had slept in the park.
elles elles avaient pioncé Elles avaient pioncé dans le train. They had slept on the train.

Other Conjugations for Pioncer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pioncer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pioncer – 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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