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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb quêter

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of quêter. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb quêter is “to beg” or “to solicit”. It is pronounced as “keh-tay” in its infinitive form.

The word quêter comes from the Latin word “quaerere” which means “to seek” or “to ask for”. It first appeared in the French language in the 12th century.

In everyday French, quêter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three examples of how quêter is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. J’avais quêté de l’aide avant que la nuit tombe. (I had begged for help before nightfall.)
  2. Tu avais quêté de la nourriture pour les pauvres avant de partir en voyage. (You had solicited food for the poor before leaving on your trip.)
  3. Ils avaient quêté des dons pour leur association caritative avant la fin de l’année. (They had collected donations for their charity before the end of the year.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais quêté J’avais quêté pour l’association caritative. I had collected for the charity.
tu tu avais quêté Tu avais quêté de l’argent pour les pauvres. You had collected money for the poor.
il il avait quêté Il avait quêté des vêtements pour les sans-abris. He had collected clothes for the homeless.
elle elle avait quêté Elle avait quêté des dons pour le refuge animalier. She had collected donations for the animal shelter.
on on avait quêté On avait quêté de la nourriture pour la banque alimentaire. One had collected food for the food bank.
nous nous avions quêté Nous avions quêté des médicaments pour la clinique gratuite. We had collected medicine for the free clinic.
vous vous aviez quêté Vous aviez quêté du matériel scolaire pour l’association éducative. You had collected school supplies for the educational association.
ils ils avaient quêté Ils avaient quêté des jouets pour l’hôpital pour enfants. They had collected toys for the children’s hospital.
elles elles avaient quêté Elles avaient quêté des couvertures pour le refuge pour sans-abris. They had collected blankets for the homeless shelter.

Other Conjugations for Quêter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb quêter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the quêter Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts