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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb brocher

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The English translation of the French verb brocher is “to bind” or “to staple.” It is pronounced as “bro-shay” in its infinitive form.

Brocher comes from the Old French word “brochier,” which means “to prick” or “to pierce.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of binding or fastening using staples or stitches. It can also be used in a figurative sense to mean “to unite” or “to connect.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, brocher is used to talk about an action that had already been completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais broché les feuilles ensemble avant de les distribuer aux élèves. (I had bound the sheets together before distributing them to the students.)

  2. Il avait broché toutes les photos dans l’album avant que sa famille n’arrive. (He had stapled all the photos in the album before his family arrived.)

  3. Les dossiers étaient déjà brochés quand le patron est arrivé. (The files had already been bound when the boss arrived.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais broché J’avais broché les pages ensemble. I had stapled the pages together.
tu tu avais broché Tu avais broché le livre. You had bound the book.
il il avait broché Il avait broché le rapport. He had bound the report.
elle elle avait broché Elle avait broché le cahier. She had stapled the notebook.
on on avait broché On avait broché les documents. One had stapled the documents.
nous nous avions broché Nous avions broché les feuilles. We had bound the sheets.
vous vous aviez broché Vous aviez broché le dossier. You had stapled the folder.
ils ils avaient broché Ils avaient broché les papiers. They had stapled the papers.
elles elles avaient broché Elles avaient broché les documents. They had stapled the documents.

Other Conjugations for Brocher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb brocher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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