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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ballaster

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The English translation of the French verb ballaster is “to ballast”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “bah-lah-stay”.

The word “ballaster” comes from the Old French word “balastre” which derives from the Latin word “ballastus”, meaning “to load with ballast”. It is most commonly used in its infinitive form “ballaster” in everyday French. In the Plus-que-parfait tense, it is used to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action or moment in the past.

  1. J’avais ballasté le navire avant la tempête. (I had ballasted the ship before the storm.)
  2. Ils avaient ballasté le camion avec des pierres. (They had ballasted the truck with stones.)
  3. Elle avait ballasté sa valise pour éviter qu’elle tombe. (She had ballasted her suitcase to prevent it from falling.)

In these examples, the verb “ballaster” is used in its past participle form “ballasté” and is followed by the auxiliary verb “avoir” conjugated in the Plus-que-parfait tense. The English translations use the phrase “had + past participle” to convey the same past perfect tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais ballasté J’avais ballasté le bateau. I had ballasted the boat.
tu tu avais ballasté Tu avais ballasté la voie ferrée. You had ballasted the railroad.
il il avait ballasté Il avait ballasté le navire. He had ballasted the ship.
elle elle avait ballasté Elle avait ballasté la cargaison. She had ballasted the cargo.
on on avait ballasté On avait ballasté le pont. One had ballasted the bridge.
nous nous avions ballasté Nous avions ballasté le chemin. We had ballasted the path.
vous vous aviez ballasté Vous aviez ballasté l’avion. You had ballasted the airplane.
ils ils avaient ballasté Ils avaient ballasté la route. They had ballasted the road.
elles elles avaient ballasté Elles avaient ballasté la piste. They had ballasted the runway.

Other Conjugations for Ballaster.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ballaster
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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