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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb polémiquer

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The English translation of polémiquer is “to argue” or “to debate”. The infinitive form is pronounced “poh-leh-mee-kay”.

The word polémiquer comes from the French noun polémique, which means “controversy” or “dispute”. It is derived from the Latin word polemica, meaning “warlike” or “pertaining to war”. In everyday French, polémiquer is most often used in informal or formal discussions or debates, where there is a difference in opinion or a controversial topic being discussed.

Examples of polémiquer in the plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais polémiqué avec mon frère sur la politique avant de partir pour mes études à l’étranger.
    Translation: I had argued with my brother about politics before leaving for my studies abroad.

  2. La journaliste avait polémiqué avec le politicien sur ses actions lors de l’élection présidentielle.
    Translation: The journalist had debated with the politician about his actions during the presidential election.

  3. Les étudiants avaient polémiqué sur la réforme universitaire pendant plusieurs jours avant de trouver un compromis.
    Translation: The students had argued about the university reform for several days before reaching a compromise.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais polémiqué J’avais polémiqué avec mon collègue. I had argued with my colleague.
tu tu avais polémiqué Tu avais polémiqué contre cette décision. You had argued against this decision.
il il avait polémiqué Il avait polémiqué avec son voisin. He had argued with his neighbor.
elle elle avait polémiqué Elle avait polémiqué sur un sujet controversé. She had argued about a controversial topic.
on on avait polémiqué On avait polémiqué sur la politique. One had argued about politics.
nous nous avions polémiqué Nous avions polémiqué pendant des heures. We had argued for hours.
vous vous aviez polémiqué Vous aviez polémiqué sur la nouvelle loi. You had argued about the new law.
ils ils avaient polémiqué Ils avaient polémiqué entre eux. They had argued amongst themselves.
elles elles avaient polémiqué Elles avaient polémiqué contre cette injustice. They had argued against this injustice.

Other Conjugations for Polémiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb polémiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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