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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb beurrer

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The English translation of beurrer is “to butter”. It is pronounced as “beu-rreh”.

Beurrer comes from the French word “beurre” meaning “butter” and the suffix “-er” which is used to form verb infinitives in French.

In everyday French, beurrer is most often used in its infinitive form to refer to the action of spreading butter on something. It can also be used figuratively to mean to flatter or smooth-talk someone.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, beurrer is conjugated as “avais beurré” for the first and second person singular, “avait beurré” for the third person singular, and “avions beurré” for the first person plural. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense followed by the past participle “beurré”.

Here are three simple examples of beurrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais beurré les tartines avant que tu arrives. (I had buttered the toasts before you arrived.)
  2. Elle avait beurré le moule pour que le gâteau ne colle pas. (She had buttered the pan so that the cake wouldn’t stick.)
  3. Nous avions beurré le directeur pour obtenir une augmentation de salaire. (We had buttered up the director to get a raise.)

Note: In these examples, the verb beurrer is used in its figurative sense of flattery or smooth-talking.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais beurré J’avais beurré le pain. I had buttered the bread.
tu tu avais beurré Tu avais beurré le croissant. You had buttered the croissant.
il il avait beurré Il avait beurré le toast. He had buttered the toast.
elle elle avait beurré Elle avait beurré la tartine. She had buttered the slice of bread.
on on avait beurré On avait beurré le biscuit. One had buttered the cookie.
nous nous avions beurré Nous avions beurré les crêpes. We had buttered the pancakes.
vous vous aviez beurré Vous aviez beurré les gaufres. You had buttered the waffles.
ils ils avaient beurré Ils avaient beurré le muffin. They had buttered the muffin.
elles elles avaient beurré Elles avaient beurré le toast. They had buttered the toast.

Other Conjugations for Beurrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb beurrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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