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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balafrer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of balafrer. 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 balafrer is “to scar” or “to disfigure.” It is pronounced as “bah-lah-fray” in the infinitive form.

The language origin of balafrer comes from the Old French word “balafrer,” which means “to slash” or “to scar.” It is derived from the Latin word “balafra,” which means “a scar made by a whip.”

In everyday French, balafrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense of the pluperfect. This tense is typically used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another past action took place.

Examples:

  1. J’avais balafré mon visage en tombant de mon vélo. (I had scarred my face when I fell off my bike.)

  2. Les pirates avaient balafré le navire ennemi avant de le couler. (The pirates had disfigured the enemy ship before sinking it.)

  3. Elle avait balafré son bras en se brûlant sur la cuisinière. (She had scarred her arm when she burned it on the stove.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais balafré J’avais balafré mon bras. I had slashed my arm.
tu tu avais balafré Tu avais balafré la vitre. You had slashed the window.
il il avait balafré Il avait balafré son visage. He had slashed his face.
elle elle avait balafré Elle avait balafré sa robe. She had slashed her dress.
on on avait balafré On avait balafré la porte. One had slashed the door.
nous nous avions balafré Nous avions balafré le mur. We had slashed the wall.
vous vous aviez balafré Vous aviez balafré le tissu. You had slashed the fabric.
ils ils avaient balafré Ils avaient balafré le bois. They had slashed the wood.
elles elles avaient balafré Elles avaient balafré la feuille. They had slashed the leaf.

Other Conjugations for Balafrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balafrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 balafrer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply