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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb contre-braquer

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The English translation of the French verb contre-braquer is “to counter-steer.” It is pronounced “kon-truh-bra-kay.”

The language origin of contre-braquer comes from the combination of the French words “contre,” meaning against, and “braquer,” meaning to steer. In everyday French, contre-braquer is most often used in the past tense, specifically the Plus-que-parfait tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais contre-braqué pour éviter la collision. (I had counter-steered to avoid the collision.)

  2. Tu avais contre-braqué trop tard et tu as perdu le contrôle de la voiture. (You had counter-steered too late and lost control of the car.)

  3. Il avait contre-braqué brusquement, provoquant un accident. (He had counter-steered abruptly, causing an accident.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contre-braqué J’avais contre-braqué pour éviter l’accident. I had swerved to avoid the accident.
tu tu avais contre-braqué Tu avais contre-braqué brusquement. You had swerved suddenly.
il il avait contre-braqué Il avait contre-braqué pour éviter la collision. He had swerved to avoid the collision.
elle elle avait contre-braqué Elle avait contre-braqué en panique. She had swerved in panic.
on on avait contre-braqué On avait contre-braqué pour éviter l’obstacle. One had swerved to avoid the obstacle.
nous nous avions contre-braqué Nous avions contre-braqué pour changer de direction. We had swerved to change direction.
vous vous aviez contre-braqué Vous aviez contre-braqué pour éviter l’embouteillage. You had swerved to avoid the traffic jam.
ils ils avaient contre-braqué Ils avaient contre-braqué pour éviter le choc. They had swerved to avoid the impact.
elles elles avaient contre-braqué Elles avaient contre-braqué pour éviter le danger. They had swerved to avoid the danger.

Other Conjugations for Contre-Braquer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb contre-braquer

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

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Contre-Braquer – 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.

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