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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb puiser

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The English translation of the French verb puiser is “to draw” or “to scoop”. The infinitive form of puiser is pronounced as “pwee-zay”.

Puiser comes from the Latin word “piscari” which means “to fish”. In everyday French, it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used for actions that were completed before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of puiser, which is “puisé”.

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

  1. J’avais puisé de l’eau dans le puits avant que la pompe ne tombe en panne. (I had drawn water from the well before the pump broke down.)
  2. Tu avais puisé de l’énergie dans ta passion pour réussir cet examen. (You had drawn energy from your passion to pass this exam.)
  3. Ils avaient puisé des idées dans les anciennes traditions pour créer leur nouveau spectacle. (They had drawn ideas from old traditions to create their new show.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais puisé J’avais puisé de l’eau dans le puits. I had drawn water from the well.
tu tu avais puisé Tu avais puisé de l’eau dans le lac. You had drawn water from the lake.
il il avait puisé Il avait puisé de l’eau dans la rivière. He had drawn water from the river.
elle elle avait puisé Elle avait puisé de l’eau dans la fontaine. She had drawn water from the fountain.
on on avait puisé On avait puisé de l’eau dans le ruisseau. One had drawn water from the stream.
nous nous avions puisé Nous avions puisé de l’eau dans le réservoir. We had drawn water from the reservoir.
vous vous aviez puisé Vous aviez puisé de l’eau dans le seau. You had drawn water from the bucket.
ils ils avaient puisé Ils avaient puisé de l’eau dans le tuyau. They had drawn water from the hose.
elles elles avaient puisé Elles avaient puisé de l’eau dans la citerne. They had drawn water from the cistern.

Other Conjugations for Puiser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb puiser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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