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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb griller

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of griller. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb griller is “to grill.” It is pronounced as “gree-yay.”

Griller comes from the Old French word “grillier,” which means “to broil over coals.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of cooking food on a grill.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, griller is used to describe an action that had already been completed in the past before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais grillé les légumes avant que mes invités n’arrivent. (I had grilled the vegetables before my guests arrived.)
  2. Tu avais grillé les saucisses lorsque la pluie a commencé à tomber. (You had grilled the sausages when the rain started to fall.)
  3. Ils avaient grillé le poisson avant de le servir avec de la salade. (They had grilled the fish before serving it with salad.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais grillé J’avais grillé le poisson. I had grilled the fish.
tu tu avais grillé Tu avais grillé les légumes. You had grilled the vegetables.
il il avait grillé Il avait grillé la viande. He had grilled the meat.
elle elle avait grillé Elle avait grillé le poulet. She had grilled the chicken.
on on avait grillé On avait grillé les saucisses. One had grilled the sausages.
nous nous avions grillé Nous avions grillé les brochettes. We had grilled the skewers.
vous vous aviez grillé Vous aviez grillé les hamburgers. You had grilled the hamburgers.
ils ils avaient grillé Ils avaient grillé les steaks. They had grilled the steaks.
elles elles avaient grillé Elles avaient grillé les crevettes. They had grilled the shrimp.

Other Conjugations for Griller.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb griller
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the griller Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts