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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb plaisanter

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The English translation of the French verb plaisanter is “to joke” or “to tease.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pleh-zahn-tay.”

The word plaisanter comes from the French word plaisir, meaning “pleasure.” In everyday French, it is often used in a casual or informal context to describe playful banter or teasing between friends or family members.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English, plaisanter is used to talk about actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle plaisanté.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais plaisanté avec mes amis avant de partir en vacances. (I had joked with my friends before leaving for vacation.)
  2. Tu étais rentré à la maison quand j’ai plaisanté sur ta coiffure. (You had come home when I joked about your hairstyle.)
  3. Elle était déjà partie quand nous avons plaisanté sur son âge. (She had already left when we joked about her age.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais plaisanté J’avais plaisanté avec mes amis. I had joked with my friends.
tu tu avais plaisanté Tu avais plaisanté avec ta famille. You had joked with your family.
il il avait plaisanté Il avait plaisanté avec ses collègues. He had joked with his colleagues.
elle elle avait plaisanté Elle avait plaisanté avec sa soeur. She had joked with her sister.
on on avait plaisanté On avait plaisanté avec nos voisins. One had joked with our neighbors.
nous nous avions plaisanté Nous avions plaisanté avec nos amis. We had joked with our friends.
vous vous aviez plaisanté Vous aviez plaisanté avec vos collègues. You had joked with your colleagues.
ils ils avaient plaisanté Ils avaient plaisanté avec leurs amis. They had joked with their friends.
elles elles avaient plaisanté Elles avaient plaisanté avec leurs voisins. They had joked with their neighbors.

Other Conjugations for Plaisanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb plaisanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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