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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb plébisciter

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The English translation of plébisciter is “to approve” or “to endorse.” It is pronounced as “pley-bee-see-tey” in its infinitive form.

Plébisciter comes from the Latin word “plebiscitum” meaning “decree of the people.” It was first used in French in the 17th century and refers to a direct vote by the people on a specific issue.

In everyday French, plébisciter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” conjugated in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of plébisciter.

Example 1:
J’avais plébiscité le nouveau président avant même de connaître son programme. (I had approved the new president even before knowing his program.)

Example 2:
Tu avais plébiscité cette réforme économique avant qu’elle ne soit mise en place. (You had endorsed this economic reform before it was implemented.)

Example 3:
Ils avaient plébiscité le projet de loi avant que le scandale n’éclate. (They had approved the bill before the scandal broke out.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais plébiscité J’avais plébiscité cette réforme. I had approved this reform.
tu tu avais plébiscité Tu avais plébiscité cette décision. You had endorsed this decision.
il il avait plébiscité Il avait plébiscité le candidat. He had voted for the candidate.
elle elle avait plébiscité Elle avait plébiscité le nouveau produit. She had endorsed the new product.
on on avait plébiscité On avait plébiscité cette proposition. One had supported this proposal.
nous nous avions plébiscité Nous avions plébiscité le projet. We had approved the project.
vous vous aviez plébiscité Vous aviez plébiscité la loi. You had voted for the law.
ils ils avaient plébiscité Ils avaient plébiscité la réforme. They had endorsed the reform.
elles elles avaient plébiscité Elles avaient plébiscité le candidat. They had voted for the candidate.

Other Conjugations for Plébisciter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb plébisciter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Plébisciter – 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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