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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ragoter

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The English translation of the French verb ragoter is “to gossip.” The infinitive form is pronounced “rah-goh-tay.”

The word “ragoter” comes from the Old French word “ragot,” meaning “idle talk” or “nonsense.” It is derived from the verb “ragoter,” which means “to tell stories.” In everyday French, the word “ragoter” is most often used to describe the act of spreading rumors or talking about people behind their backs.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “ragoter” is used to talk about gossip that happened in the past. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’avais ragoté sur elle avant de la connaître. – I had gossiped about her before getting to know her.
  2. Tu avais ragoté sur moi avec tes amis. – You had gossiped about me with your friends.
  3. Ils avaient ragoté sur leur chef et maintenant ils ont été renvoyés. – They had gossiped about their boss and now they have been fired.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais ragoté J’avais ragoté sur mon voisin. I had gossiped about my neighbor.
tu tu avais ragoté Tu avais ragoté sur tes collègues. You had gossiped about your colleagues.
il il avait ragoté Il avait ragoté sur ses amis. He had gossiped about his friends.
elle elle avait ragoté Elle avait ragoté sur sa famille. She had gossiped about her family.
on on avait ragoté On avait ragoté sur nous. One had gossiped about us.
nous nous avions ragoté Nous avions ragoté sur nos voisins. We had gossiped about our neighbors.
vous vous aviez ragoté Vous aviez ragoté sur vos connaissances. You had gossiped about your acquaintances.
ils ils avaient ragoté Ils avaient ragoté sur leurs collègues. They had gossiped about their colleagues.
elles elles avaient ragoté Elles avaient ragoté sur leurs amis. They had gossiped about their friends.

Other Conjugations for Ragoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ragoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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