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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb bidonner

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The English translation of the French verb bidonner is “to joke” or “to fool around.” It is pronounced as “bee-doh-nay.”

The word “bidonner” comes from the French word “bidon,” meaning “jerrycan,” and is related to the word “bidonner,” which means “to fill a jerrycan.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the equivalent of the past perfect tense in English.

Three simple examples of using “bidonner” in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Nous avions bidonné toute la soirée. (We had been joking all evening.)
  2. Tu avais bidonné pendant le cours. (You had been fooling around during class.)
  3. Ils avaient bidonné pendant des heures avant de se mettre au travail. (They had been joking for hours before getting to work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais bidonné J’avais bidonné l’histoire. I had made up the story.
tu tu avais bidonné Tu avais bidonné la blague. You had made up the joke.
il il avait bidonné Il avait bidonné le discours. He had made up the speech.
elle elle avait bidonné Elle avait bidonné le mensonge. She had made up the lie.
on on avait bidonné On avait bidonné l’excuse. One had made up the excuse.
nous nous avions bidonné Nous avions bidonné la situation. We had made up the situation.
vous vous aviez bidonné Vous aviez bidonné la réponse. You had made up the answer.
ils ils avaient bidonné Ils avaient bidonné le rapport. They had made up the report.
elles elles avaient bidonné Elles avaient bidonné l’anecdote. They had made up the anecdote.

Other Conjugations for Bidonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb bidonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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