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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb refouiller

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The English translation of the French verb refouiller is “to rummage through/to search through”. It is pronounced as “ruh-foo-yay”.

The word refouiller comes from the French prefix “re-” meaning “again” and the verb “fouiller” meaning “to search through”. It can be traced back to the Latin word “fodere” meaning “to dig”. In everyday French, refouiller is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to talk about actions that were completed in the past and happened before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais refouillé mes tiroirs pour trouver mes clés avant de partir. (I had rummaged through my drawers to find my keys before leaving.)

  2. Elle avait refouillé ses sacs pour trouver son passeport avant de partir en vacances. (She had searched through her bags to find her passport before leaving for vacation.)

  3. Nous avions refouillé le grenier pour retrouver des photos de notre enfance. (We had rummaged through the attic to find old photos of our childhood.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais refouillé J’avais refouillé dans mon sac. I had rummaged in my bag.
tu tu avais refouillé Tu avais refouillé dans tes poches. You had searched through your pockets.
il il avait refouillé Il avait refouillé dans ses affaires. He had searched through his belongings.
elle elle avait refouillé Elle avait refouillé dans sa valise. She had rummaged through her suitcase.
on on avait refouillé On avait refouillé dans le tiroir. One had rifled through the drawer.
nous nous avions refouillé Nous avions refouillé dans la boîte. We had searched through the box.
vous vous aviez refouillé Vous aviez refouillé dans les documents. You had looked through the documents.
ils ils avaient refouillé Ils avaient refouillé dans les papiers. They had gone through the papers.
elles elles avaient refouillé Elles avaient refouillé dans leur sac. They had searched through their bag.

Other Conjugations for Refouiller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb refouiller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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