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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb ballonner

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The English translation of the French verb ballonner is “to bloat” or “to balloon.” It is pronounced as “bah-loh-nay” in its infinitive form.

The word ballonner comes from the noun “ballon” meaning “balloon” in French. The suffix “er” is added to the noun to create the verb form, giving it the meaning of “to make something like a balloon.”

In everyday French, ballonner 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 an action that was completed before a specific point in the past.

Here are three simple examples of how ballonner is used in the Plus-que-parfait tense and their English translations:

1) Nous avions ballonné après avoir mangé une grande pizza.
(We had bloated after eating a large pizza.)

2) Les enfants étaient boudinés après avoir mangé trop de bonbons.
(The children were bloated after eating too many candies.)

3) Elle avait ballonné à cause de son intolérance au gluten.
(She had bloated because of her gluten intolerance.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais ballonné J’avais ballonné le ballon. I had inflated the balloon.
tu tu avais ballonné Tu avais ballonné la balle. You had inflated the ball.
il il avait ballonné Il avait ballonné le ballon. He had inflated the balloon.
elle elle avait ballonné Elle avait ballonné le ballon. She had inflated the balloon.
on on avait ballonné On avait ballonné le ballon. One had inflated the balloon.
nous nous avions ballonné Nous avions ballonné le ballon. We had inflated the balloon.
vous vous aviez ballonné Vous aviez ballonné le ballon. You had inflated the balloon.
ils ils avaient ballonné Ils avaient ballonné le ballon. They had inflated the balloon.
elles elles avaient ballonné Elles avaient ballonné le ballon. They had inflated the balloon.

Other Conjugations for Ballonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb ballonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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