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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb finasser

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The English translation of the French verb finasser is “to shilly-shally” or “to beat around the bush.” It is pronounced as “fee-nah-say.”

The language origin of finasser can be traced back to the Old French word “fineser” which means “to end slowly or carefully.” This evolved into “finasser” in modern French, with the prefix “fin” meaning “end” and the suffix “-asser” indicating a repetitive or prolonged action.

In everyday French, finasser is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense used to express an action that had already been completed before another past action. It is most commonly used to describe someone’s hesitation or reluctance in making a decision or taking action.

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

  1. J’avais finassé avant de prendre ma décision. (I had shilly-shallied before making my decision.)

  2. Il avait finassé pendant des heures avant de se décider à acheter le cadeau. (He had beaten around the bush for hours before deciding to buy the gift.)

  3. Elle avait finassé avec ses collègues avant de donner sa réponse à son patron. (She had hesitated with her colleagues before giving her answer to her boss.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais finassé J’avais finassé avec mes amis. I had finagled with my friends.
tu tu avais finassé Tu avais finassé sur le projet. You had finagled on the project.
il il avait finassé Il avait finassé pour obtenir une promotion. He had finagled to get a promotion.
elle elle avait finassé Elle avait finassé avec son coéquipier. She had finagled with her teammate.
on on avait finassé On avait finassé pour gagner du temps. One had finagled to save time.
nous nous avions finassé Nous avions finassé pour éviter les conséquences. We had finagled to avoid the consequences.
vous vous aviez finassé Vous aviez finassé pour trouver une solution. You had finagled to find a solution.
ils ils avaient finassé Ils avaient finassé avec la banque. They had finagled with the bank.
elles elles avaient finassé Elles avaient finassé pour réussir. They had finagled to succeed.

Other Conjugations for Finasser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb finasser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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