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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb briguer

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The English translation of the French verb briguer is “to seek” or “to campaign for.” The infinitive form is pronounced “bree-guh-ay.”

The word briguer comes from the Old French verb “brigaier,” which meant “to fight” or “to compete.” It is derived from the Celtic word “briga,” meaning “strength” or “power.”

In everyday French, briguer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense, which is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action.

Example 1: J’avais briguer le poste de directeur avant qu’il ne soit embauché. (I had campaigned for the director position before he was hired.)

Example 2: Nous avions briguer le soutien du maire avant le début de la campagne électorale. (We had sought the support of the mayor before the start of the election campaign.)

Example 3: Vous aviez briguer le cœur de la princesse avant qu’elle ne choisisse un autre prétendant. (You had sought the heart of the princess before she chose another suitor.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais brigué J’avais brigué le poste de directeur. I had sought the position of director.
tu tu avais brigué Tu avais brigué le titre de champion. You had competed for the title of champion.
il il avait brigué Il avait brigué la victoire. He had sought victory.
elle elle avait brigué Elle avait brigué la première place. She had sought the first place.
on on avait brigué On avait brigué le pouvoir. One had sought power.
nous nous avions brigué Nous avions brigué la promotion. We had sought the promotion.
vous vous aviez brigué Vous aviez brigué la présidence. You had sought the presidency.
ils ils avaient brigué Ils avaient brigué l’attention du public. They had sought the attention of the public.
elles elles avaient brigué Elles avaient brigué l’admiration des spectateurs. They had sought the admiration of the spectators.

Other Conjugations for Briguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb briguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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