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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clignoter

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The English translation of the French verb clignoter is “to blink,” and it is pronounced as “kleeg-noh-ter.”

The language origin of clignoter can be traced back to the Old French word “cligner,” which means “to wink” or “to close one’s eyes.” It eventually evolved into “clignoter” in modern French with a similar meaning of blinking or flickering.

In everyday French, clignoter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense that indicates an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the imperfect form of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of clignoter in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais clignoté plusieurs fois avant de me rendre compte que mon ampoule était grillée. (I had blinked several times before realizing that my light bulb was burned out.)

  2. Les lumières de la ville avaient clignoté toute la nuit, m’empêchant de dormir. (The city lights had been blinking all night, keeping me from sleeping.)

  3. Nous étions déjà sortis quand les feux de circulation avaient clignoté en jaune. (We had already left when the traffic lights had flickered to yellow.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais clignoté J’avais clignoté avec mes yeux. I had blinked with my eyes.
tu tu avais clignoté Tu avais clignoté avec la lumière. You had blinked with the light.
il il avait clignoté Il avait clignoté avec le panneau. He had blinked with the sign.
elle elle avait clignoté Elle avait clignoté avec son téléphone. She had blinked with her phone.
on on avait clignoté On avait clignoté avec le clignotant. One had blinked with the turn signal.
nous nous avions clignoté Nous avions clignoté avec les lumières. We had blinked with the lights.
vous vous aviez clignoté Vous aviez clignoté avec le flash. You had blinked with the flash.
ils ils avaient clignoté Ils avaient clignoté avec les feux. They had blinked with the headlights.
elles elles avaient clignoté Elles avaient clignoté avec les phares. They had blinked with the headlights.

Other Conjugations for Clignoter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clignoter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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