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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb puer

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The English translation of the French verb puer is “to stink” or “to smell bad.” The infinitive form of puer is pronounced as “pweh.”

The origin of the verb puer can be traced back to the Latin word “puer,” which means “boy” or “child.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Examples of puer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais puer toute la journée. (I had stunk all day.)

  2. Tu avais puer depuis des semaines. (You had been smelling bad for weeks.)

  3. Il avait puer depuis qu’il avait mangé du fromage. (He had been stinking since he ate cheese.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pué J’avais pué pendant des heures. I had stunk for hours.
tu tu avais pué Tu avais pué depuis la matinée. You had stunk since the morning.
il il avait pué Il avait pué durant la soirée. He had stunk during the evening.
elle elle avait pué Elle avait pué toute la journée. She had stunk all day.
on on avait pué On avait pué toute la nuit. One had stunk all night.
nous nous avions pué Nous avions pué pendant la nuit. We had stunk during the night.
vous vous aviez pué Vous aviez pué toute la semaine. You had stunk all week.
ils ils avaient pué Ils avaient pué depuis le matin. They had stunk since the morning.
elles elles avaient pué Elles avaient pué depuis le début. They had stunk since the beginning.

Other Conjugations for Puer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb puer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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