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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb guillotiner

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The English translation of the French verb guillotiner is to guillotine. It is pronounced “gee-yo-tee-nay” in its infinitive form.

The term guillotiner originates from the French word “guillotine,” which is the name of a device used for execution by decapitation during the French Revolution. Therefore, the verb guillotiner is used to refer to the act of executing someone by using the guillotine.

In everyday French, guillotiner is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais guillotiné mon ennemi avant qu’il ne puisse se venger. (I had guillotined my enemy before he could get revenge.)
  2. Vous aviez guillotiné le prisonnier sans lui donner une chance de se défendre. (You had guillotined the prisoner without giving him a chance to defend himself.)
  3. Ils avaient guillotiné le roi avant que la révolte ne prenne de l’ampleur. (They had guillotined the king before the revolt could gain momentum.)

English translations:

  1. I had guillotined my enemy before he could get revenge.
  2. You had guillotined the prisoner without giving him a chance to defend himself.
  3. They had guillotined the king before the revolt could gain momentum.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais guillotiné J’avais guillotiné le prisonnier. I had guillotined the prisoner.
tu tu avais guillotiné Tu avais guillotiné l’accusé. You had guillotined the accused.
il il avait guillotiné Il avait guillotiné le condamné à mort. He had guillotined the condemned to death.
elle elle avait guillotiné Elle avait guillotiné la reine. She had guillotined the queen.
on on avait guillotiné On avait guillotiné le traître. One had guillotined the traitor.
nous nous avions guillotiné Nous avions guillotiné le chef d’Etat. We had guillotined the head of state.
vous vous aviez guillotiné Vous aviez guillotiné les rebelles. You had guillotined the rebels.
ils ils avaient guillotiné Ils avaient guillotiné les ennemis de la révolution. They had guillotined the enemies of the revolution.
elles elles avaient guillotiné Elles avaient guillotiné les aristocrates. They had guillotined the aristocrats.

Other Conjugations for Guillotiner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb guillotiner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Guillotiner – 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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