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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb millésimer

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The English translation of the French verb millésimer is “to vintage.” The infinitive form is pronounced “mee-le-see-may.”

Millésimer comes from the French word “millésime,” which refers to the year in which a particular wine was produced. It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Examples:

  1. J’avais millésimé cette bouteille de vin en 2008. (I had vintaged this bottle of wine in 2008.)

  2. Tu avais millésimé ces chaussures il y a deux ans. (You had vintage these shoes two years ago.)

  3. Il avait millésimé sa maison en 1999. (He had vintaged his house in 1999.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais millésimé J’avais millésimé le vin. I had aged the wine.
tu tu avais millésimé Tu avais millésimé la bouteille. You had aged the bottle.
il il avait millésimé Il avait millésimé le champagne. He had aged the champagne.
elle elle avait millésimé Elle avait millésimé le cognac. She had aged the cognac.
on on avait millésimé On avait millésimé le vin rouge. One had aged the red wine.
nous nous avions millésimé Nous avions millésimé la liqueur. We had aged the liquor.
vous vous aviez millésimé Vous aviez millésimé le whisky. You had aged the whisky.
ils ils avaient millésimé Ils avaient millésimé le vin blanc. They had aged the white wine.
elles elles avaient millésimé Elles avaient millésimé le vin rosé. They had aged the rosé wine.

Other Conjugations for Millésimer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb millésimer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Millésimer – 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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