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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb potiner

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The English translation of the French verb potiner is “to gossip.” It is pronounced as “poh-tee-nay.”

The word potiner comes from the Old French word “potin,” which means “gossip” or “rumor.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Three examples of using potiner in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais potiné avec mes amies avant de découvrir la vérité. (I had gossiped with my friends before discovering the truth.)
  2. Tu avais potiné sur ton voisin avant qu’il ne te surprenne. (You had gossiped about your neighbor before he caught you.)
  3. Ils avaient potiné sur leur patron avant de se faire licencier. (They had gossiped about their boss before getting fired.)

In all of these examples, the action of gossiping occurred before another action in the past, indicated by the use of “avoir” in the Plus-que-parfait tense. The English translations also use the past perfect tense to convey this sequence of events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais potiné J’avais potiné avec mes amis. I had gossiped with my friends.
tu tu avais potiné Tu avais potiné sur le voisin. You had gossiped about the neighbor.
il il avait potiné Il avait potiné au travail. He had gossiped at work.
elle elle avait potiné Elle avait potiné avec ses collègues. She had gossiped with her colleagues.
on on avait potiné On avait potiné à la cafétéria. One had gossiped at the cafeteria.
nous nous avions potiné Nous avions potiné sur nos voisins. We had gossiped about our neighbors.
vous vous aviez potiné Vous aviez potiné sur la voisine. You had gossiped about the neighbor.
ils ils avaient potiné Ils avaient potiné sur leurs collègues. They had gossiped about their colleagues.
elles elles avaient potiné Elles avaient potiné au cours de yoga. They had gossiped during the yoga class.

Other Conjugations for Potiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb potiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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