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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brillantiner

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The English translation of the French verb brillantiner is “to shine” or “to polish”. It is pronounced “bree-yawn-tee-nay”.

The word brillantiner comes from the French word “brillant”, meaning “shiny”. It is most often used in everyday French to talk about shining or polishing objects or surfaces. In the plus-que-parfait tense, it is used to talk about an action that was completed in the past before another action took place.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais brillantinĂ© mes chaussures avant de partir pour la fĂȘte. (I had polished my shoes before leaving for the party.)

  2. Nous avions brillantiné les verres pour le dßner. (We had shined the glasses for dinner.)

  3. Ils avaient brillantiné la voiture avant de la vendre. (They had polished the car before selling it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais brillantinĂ© J’avais brillantinĂ© mes chaussures. I had shined my shoes.
tu tu avais brillantiné Tu avais brillantiné ton vélo. You had shined your bike.
il il avait brillantiné Il avait brillantiné sa voiture. He had shined his car.
elle elle avait brillantiné Elle avait brillantiné ses bijoux. She had shined her jewelry.
on on avait brillantiné On avait brillantiné le miroir. One had shined the mirror.
nous nous avions brillantiné Nous avions brillantiné la table. We had shined the table.
vous vous aviez brillantiné Vous aviez brillantiné la vaisselle. You had shined the dishes.
ils ils avaient brillantiné Ils avaient brillantiné leurs bottes. They had shined their boots.
elles elles avaient brillantiné Elles avaient brillantiné leurs meubles. They had shined their furniture.

Other Conjugations for Brillantiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
   

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

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

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

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brillantiner

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

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Brillantiner – 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 “ĂȘtre” (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 mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (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 jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(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 mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (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 arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  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 passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© 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 diffĂ©remment” (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 brillantiner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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