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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brancher

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The English translation of the French verb brancher is “to plug in” or “to connect”. It is pronounced “brahn-shay”.

The word brancher comes from the noun branche, meaning “branch” or “limb”. The verb brancher is most often used in everyday French to talk about plugging in electronic or electrical devices, but it can also be used in a figurative sense to mean “to connect” or “to engage”.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, brancher is conjugated as “j’avais branché” for the first person singular, “tu avais branché” for the second person singular, “il/elle avait branché” for the third person singular, “nous avions branché” for the first person plural, “vous aviez branché” for the second person plural, and “ils/elles avaient branché” for the third person plural.

Here are three simple examples of brancher in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais branché mon ordinateur avant de partir. (I had plugged in my computer before leaving.)
  2. Tu avais branché la télévision, mais tu n’avais pas mis le son. (You had connected the television, but you hadn’t turned on the sound.)
  3. Nous avions branché les enceintes pour écouter de la musique. (We had plugged in the speakers to listen to music.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais branché J’avais branché l’ordinateur. I had plugged in the computer.
tu tu avais branché Tu avais branché le téléphone. You had plugged in the phone.
il il avait branché Il avait branché la lampe. He had plugged in the lamp.
elle elle avait branché Elle avait branché la télévision. She had plugged in the television.
on on avait branché On avait branché le lecteur DVD. One had plugged in the DVD player.
nous nous avions branché Nous avions branché l’imprimante. We had plugged in the printer.
vous vous aviez branché Vous aviez branché le câble. You had plugged in the cable.
ils ils avaient branché Ils avaient branché la console de jeux. They had plugged in the game console.
elles elles avaient branché Elles avaient branché la radio. They had plugged in the radio.

Other Conjugations for Brancher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brancher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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