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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb balkaniser

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The English translation of the French verb balkaniser is “to Balkanize,” which means to divide into smaller, often hostile units or factions. The infinitive form of balkaniser is pronounced as “bahl – kah – nee – zay.”

The word balkaniser is derived from the word Balkan, which refers to the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe. In the early 1900s, the Balkan region was divided into several smaller countries, which eventually led to conflicts and tensions between them. This concept of dividing a larger entity into smaller, often conflicting units gave rise to the verb balkaniser.

In everyday French, balkaniser is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about actions that were completed before a specific point in the past. For example:

  1. J’avais balkanisé mon entreprise avant de la vendre. (I had Balkanized my company before selling it.)
  2. Les colons avaient balkanisé le territoire en différentes colonies. (The colonizers had Balkanized the territory into different colonies.)
  3. Les disputes politiques avaient balkanisé le pays en différentes factions. (The political disputes had Balkanized the country into different factions.)

In these examples, the verb balkaniser is used to describe the division or fragmentation of something into smaller and often conflicting units. In English, the verb “to Balkanize” is often used in a figurative sense to describe any situation where something is divided into smaller, hostile units.

Overall, balkaniser is a verb that originated from a specific historical event, but it has now become a commonly used term to describe the act of dividing or breaking up into smaller and often conflicting units.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais balkanisé J’avais balkanisé le pays. I had balkanized the country.
tu tu avais balkanisé Tu avais balkanisé la région. You had balkanized the region.
il il avait balkanisé Il avait balkanisé la ville. He had balkanized the city.
elle elle avait balkanisé Elle avait balkanisé le quartier. She had balkanized the neighborhood.
on on avait balkanisé On avait balkanisé l’Etat. One had balkanized the state.
nous nous avions balkanisé Nous avions balkanisé le territoire. We had balkanized the territory.
vous vous aviez balkanisé Vous aviez balkanisé la région. You had balkanized the region.
ils ils avaient balkanisé Ils avaient balkanisé le pays. They had balkanized the country.
elles elles avaient balkanisé Elles avaient balkanisé la ville. They had balkanized the city.

Other Conjugations for Balkaniser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb balkaniser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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