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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb poiler

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The English translation of the French verb poiler is “to spoil.” It is pronounced as “pwah-lay” in its infinitive form.

The word poiler comes from the Latin word “pilare,” meaning “to strip.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Three simple examples of poiler in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais déjà spoilé la fin du film avant que mes amis ne le regardent. (I had already spoiled the ending of the movie before my friends watched it.)

  2. Tu avais spoilé la surprise en parlant du cadeau d’anniversaire avant la fête. (You had spoiled the surprise by talking about the birthday gift before the party.)

  3. Les enfants avaient spoilé le jeu en regardant les réponses sur internet. (The children had spoiled the game by looking up the answers online.)

English translations:

  1. I had already spoiled
  2. You had spoiled
  3. The children had spoiled

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pôlé J’avais pôlé le pain. I had baked the bread.
tu tu avais pôlé Tu avais pôlé les gâteaux. You had baked the cakes.
il il avait pôlé Il avait pôlé les croissants. He had baked the croissants.
elle elle avait pôlé Elle avait pôlé la tarte. She had baked the pie.
on on avait pôlé On avait pôlé les biscuits. One had baked the cookies.
nous nous avions pôlé Nous avions pôlé les baguettes. We had baked the baguettes.
vous vous aviez pôlé Vous aviez pôlé les pains au chocolat. You had baked the chocolate croissants.
ils ils avaient pôlé Ils avaient pôlé les éclairs. They had baked the éclairs.
elles elles avaient pôlé Elles avaient pôlé les muffins. They had baked the muffins.

Other Conjugations for Poiler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb poiler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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