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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb prospecter

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The English translation of the French verb prospecter is “to prospect.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pro-spek-ter.”

The language origin of prospecter comes from the Latin word “prospectare,” which means to look out for, examine, or explore. In modern French, it is most often used in the context of business, sales, or marketing to refer to the act of searching for potential customers or clients.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, prospecter is used to talk about an action that had already been completed before another action in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais prospecté plusieurs entreprises avant de trouver un nouveau client. (I had prospected several companies before finding a new client.)

  2. Tu avais prospecté la région pour trouver de nouveaux marchés. (You had prospected the region to find new markets.)

  3. Les commerciaux avaient prospecté le salon professionnel depuis des semaines avant de décrocher un contrat. (The salespeople had prospected the trade show for weeks before landing a contract.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais prospecté J’avais prospecté le marché. I had prospected the market.
tu tu avais prospecté Tu avais prospecté de nouveaux clients. You had prospected new clients.
il il avait prospecté Il avait prospecté des investisseurs. He had prospected investors.
elle elle avait prospecté Elle avait prospecté de nouvelles opportunités. She had prospected new opportunities.
on on avait prospecté On avait prospecté dans de nouveaux secteurs. One had prospected in new sectors.
nous nous avions prospecté Nous avions prospecté de nouveaux territoires. We had prospected new territories.
vous vous aviez prospecté Vous aviez prospecté de nouveaux marchés. You had prospected new markets.
ils ils avaient prospecté Ils avaient prospecté de nouveaux partenaires. They had prospected new partners.
elles elles avaient prospecté Elles avaient prospecté de nouveaux clients. They had prospected new clients.

Other Conjugations for Prospecter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb prospecter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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