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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bichonner

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The English translation of the French verb bichonner is “to pamper” or “to fuss over.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “bee-sho-nay.”

The language origin of bichonner can be traced back to the Old French word “bichon,” which means “small lap dog.” This evolved into the verb bichonner, which originally referred to the act of grooming and taking care of a small dog. Over time, the meaning expanded to include the pampering and fussing over of any person or thing.

In everyday French, bichonner in the Passé Antérieur tense is typically used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past. It is formed by conjugating the verb avoir or être in the Passé Simple tense and adding the past participle of bichonner.

Three simple examples of bichonner in the Passé Antérieur tense are:

  1. Ils avaient bichonné leur chien avant de partir en vacances. (They had pampered their dog before leaving for vacation.)

  2. Elle fut tout de suite bichonnée par sa grand-mère à son arrivée. (She was immediately fussed over by her grandmother upon her arrival.)

  3. Nous étions si bien bichonnés par le personnel de l’hôtel pendant notre séjour. (We were so well pampered by the hotel staff during our stay.)

In these examples, the verb bichonner highlights the actions of pampering and fussing over that were completed before the main actions (leaving for vacation, arriving, and staying at a hotel).

Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of bichonner

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’eus bichonné J’eus bichonné mon chat I had pampered my cat
tu tu eus bichonné Tu eus bichonné ton chien You had pampered your dog
il il eut bichonné Il eut bichonné sa voiture He had pampered his car
elle elle eut bichonné Elle eut bichonné son jardin She had pampered her garden
on on eut bichonné On eut bichonné notre maison One had pampered our house
nous nous eûmes bichonné Nous eûmes bichonné nos animaux We had pampered our pets
vous vous eûtes bichonné Vous eûtes bichonné vos plantes You had pampered your plants
ils ils eurent bichonné Ils eurent bichonné leurs enfants They had pampered their children
elles elles eurent bichonné Elles eurent bichonné leurs cheveux They had pampered their hair

Other Conjugations for Bichonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bichonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bichonner (this article)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bichonner – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense

The French Passé Antérieur tense, often referred to as the “past anterior” in English, is a literary and formal past tense that is not commonly used in everyday spoken French. It is primarily found in written language, particularly in literature, historical texts, and formal writing. This tense is used to express actions that occurred before another action in the past, serving a similar purpose to the past perfect tense (passé composé) in English.

NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Formation of the Passé Antérieur

The Passé Antérieur is formed by using the third person singular of the passé simple (simple past) tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être,” followed by the past participle of the main verb. 
The choice between “avoir” and “être” as the auxiliary verb depends on the main verb and its transitivity or intransitivity. Here is the basic structure:
1. For verbs that use “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’eus (I had) + past participle (of the main verb)
2. For verbs that use “être” as the auxiliary verb:
   – Je fus (I was) + past participle (of the main verb)

Common Usage Patterns

As mentioned earlier, the Passé Antérieur is primarily used in formal and literary contexts. It is rarely used in everyday spoken French, where the passé composé and imparfait are more commonly used to express past actions. Some common patterns of usage include:

Literature

The Passé Antérieur is frequently used in literature to describe past events in a succinct and formal manner.

Historical Texts

It is used in historical narratives to recount past actions and events.

Formal Writing

In formal and academic writing, the Passé Antérieur can be employed to convey events in the past with a sense of formality and precision.

Interactions with Other Tenses

The Passé Antérieur often interacts with other tenses, especially when narrating past events in a chronological order:

Passé Composé (Present Perfect)

The Passé Antérieur can be used to indicate an action that occurred before another action expressed in the passé composé. For example: “Il eut terminé son travail avant que je ne sois arrivé.” (He had finished his work before I arrived).

Imparfait (Imperfect)

The Passé Antérieur may be used in conjunction with the imparfait to convey a sequence of past actions. For instance: “Elle arriva après que nous eûmes commencé.” (She arrived after we had started).

Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)

In the context of storytelling or narration, the Passé Antérieur can be used to describe events that happened before a future action expressed in the futur antérieur. For example: “Il partira après qu’il aura fini.” (He will leave after he has finished).

Summary

Passé Antérieur is a formal past tense used in written language and literary contexts to describe actions that occurred before another action in the past. It is not commonly used in everyday spoken French where you should instead use the passé composé and imparfait for discussing past events.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb bichonner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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