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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb butter

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The English translation of the French verb butter is “to spread butter” or “to butter.” The infinitive form is pronounced “byoo-tey” with the “u” sound as in “blue” and the “ey” as in “hey.”

The word “butter” comes from the Latin word “butyrum,” which was derived from the Greek word “boutyron.” This word eventually evolved into “beurre” in Old French, which is the current word for butter in modern French.

In everyday French, butter is most commonly used in cooking and baking, as well as for spreading on bread or toast. It is also used in idiomatic expressions, such as “mettre du beurre dans les épinards” (to add butter to your spinach) which means to improve one’s financial situation.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English, butter is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage:

  1. J’avais beurré le pain avant d’aller au travail. (I had buttered the bread before going to work.)
  2. Elle avait déjà beurré le moule quand j’ai préparé la pâte. (She had already buttered the pan when I prepared the dough.)
  3. Nous avions beurré toutes les tartines avant que les invités arrivent. (We had buttered all the toasts before the guests arrived.)

Overall, the use of butter in the Plus-que-parfait tense helps to convey a sense of completed actions in the past and their relation to other past events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais beurré J’avais beurré le pain. I had buttered the bread.
tu tu avais beurré Tu avais beurré les pommes de terre. You had buttered the potatoes.
il il avait beurré Il avait beurré le croissant. He had buttered the croissant.
elle elle avait beurré Elle avait beurré le pain. She had buttered the bread.
on on avait beurré On avait beurré le gâteau. One had buttered the cake.
nous nous avions beurré Nous avions beurré les tartines. We had buttered the toast.
vous vous aviez beurré Vous aviez beurré les crêpes. You had buttered the pancakes.
ils ils avaient beurré Ils avaient beurré les pains au chocolat. They had buttered the chocolate croissants.
elles elles avaient beurré Elles avaient beurré les brioches. They had buttered the buns.

Other Conjugations for Butter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb butter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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