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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb raréfier

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The English translation of the French verb raréfier is “to rarefy” or “to thin out.” The infinitive form is pronounced “rah-ray-fee-ay.”

The word raréfier comes from the Latin word “rarefacere,” which means “to make rare.” In everyday French, it is most often used to describe the process of making something less dense or concentrated.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, raréfier is used to indicate a past action that was completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous avions raréfié la sauce avant de la verser sur les pâtes. (We had thinned out the sauce before pouring it over the pasta.)
  2. Tu avais raréfié le mélange pour qu’il soit plus facile à mélanger. (You had rarefied the mixture to make it easier to stir.)
  3. Les agriculteurs avaient raréfié leur troupeau en vendant plusieurs vaches. (The farmers had reduced the size of their herd by selling several cows.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais raréfié J’avais raréfié l’air. I had rarefied the air.
tu tu avais raréfié Tu avais raréfié l’eau. You had rarefied the water.
il il avait raréfié Il avait raréfié le sol. He had rarefied the ground.
elle elle avait raréfié Elle avait raréfié l’atmosphère. She had rarefied the atmosphere.
on on avait raréfié On avait raréfié la ressource. One had rarefied the resource.
nous nous avions raréfié Nous avions raréfié la population. We had rarefied the population.
vous vous aviez raréfié Vous aviez raréfié le gaz. You had rarefied the gas.
ils ils avaient raréfié Ils avaient raréfié le bois. They had rarefied the wood.
elles elles avaient raréfié Elles avaient raréfié la matière. They had rarefied the matter.

Other Conjugations for Raréfier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb raréfier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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