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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb driller

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The English translation of the French verb driller is “to drill” or “to bore.” It is pronounced as “dree-yay.”

The word “driller” comes from the Old French word “drillier,” which means “to pierce” or “to bore.” In modern French, it is most often used in the context of construction, mining, or drilling for oil or natural gas.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, driller is used to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage:

  1. J’avais déjà drillé le trou avant que tu arrives. (I had already drilled the hole before you arrived.)
  2. Ils avaient drillé des puits dans cette région plusieurs années auparavant. (They had drilled wells in this region several years before.)
  3. Tu avais drillé le mur pour accrocher le tableau. (You had drilled the wall to hang the painting.)

In these examples, driller is used to describe an action that was completed in the past and is no longer ongoing. The Plus-que-parfait tense emphasizes the completion of the action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais drillé J’avais drillé le sol. I had drilled the ground.
tu tu avais drillé Tu avais drillé le mur. You had drilled the wall.
il il avait drillé Il avait drillé le bois. He had drilled the wood.
elle elle avait drillé Elle avait drillé le sol. She had drilled the ground.
on on avait drillé On avait drillé la pierre. One had drilled the stone.
nous nous avions drillé Nous avions drillé le métal. We had drilled the metal.
vous vous aviez drillé Vous aviez drillé la planche. You had drilled the plank.
ils ils avaient drillé Ils avaient drillé le béton. They had drilled the concrete.
elles elles avaient drillé Elles avaient drillé le verre. They had drilled the glass.

Other Conjugations for Driller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb driller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Driller – 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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