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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb breveter

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The English translation of the French verb breveter is “to patent.” It is pronounced “bruh-vet-ay.”

The language origin of breveter can be traced back to the Latin word “brevis,” meaning “short.” This is because a patent is a legal document that grants exclusive rights to the inventor for a certain period of time, giving them a “short” window of time to profit from their invention. In everyday French, breveter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to talk about an action that was completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais breveté mon invention avant de la présenter au public. (I had patented my invention before presenting it to the public.)
  2. Ils avaient breveté leur nouvelle technologie avant de la vendre à une entreprise. (They had patented their new technology before selling it to a company.)
  3. Elle m’avait breveté son idée de produit écologique avant de la développer. (She had patented her idea for an ecological product before developing it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais breveté J’avais breveté cette invention. I had patented this invention.
tu tu avais breveté Tu avais breveté cette idée. You had patented this idea.
il il avait breveté Il avait breveté cette technologie. He had patented this technology.
elle elle avait breveté Elle avait breveté cette méthode. She had patented this method.
on on avait breveté On avait breveté ce produit. One had patented this product.
nous nous avions breveté Nous avions breveté cette formule. We had patented this formula.
vous vous aviez breveté Vous aviez breveté cette marque. You had patented this brand.
ils ils avaient breveté Ils avaient breveté cette invention. They had patented this invention.
elles elles avaient breveté Elles avaient breveté cette méthode. They had patented this method.

Other Conjugations for Breveter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb breveter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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