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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pensionner

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The English translation of the French verb pensionner is “to retire” or “to pension off.” It is pronounced as “pahn-see-oh-nay.”

The language origin of pensionner can be traced back to the Latin word “pensio,” which means “payment” or “pension.” In everyday French, pensionner is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action. It is also used to describe someone who has retired or been pensioned off from work.

Examples of pensionner in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais pensionné mon père avant de déménager à l’étranger. (I had retired my father before moving abroad.)

  2. Elle avait pensionné son mari pour qu’il puisse profiter de sa retraite. (She had pensioned off her husband so he could enjoy his retirement.)

  3. Les employés avaient été pensionnés après la fermeture de l’entreprise. (The employees had been pensioned off after the closure of the company.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pensionné J’avais pensionné mon grand-père en 2012. I had retired my grandfather in 2012.
tu tu avais pensionné Tu avais pensionné ton oncle il y a longtemps. You had retired your uncle a long time ago.
il il avait pensionné Il avait pensionné son père en 2005. He had retired his father in 2005.
elle elle avait pensionné Elle avait pensionné sa mère il y a quelques années. She had retired her mother a few years ago.
on on avait pensionné On avait pensionné le directeur de l’entreprise en 2019. One had retired the company’s director in 2019.
nous nous avions pensionné Nous avions pensionné nos parents ensemble. We had retired our parents together.
vous vous aviez pensionné Vous aviez pensionné vos grands-parents avant leur départ. You had retired your grandparents before their departure.
ils ils avaient pensionné Ils avaient pensionné leur collègue il y a quelques mois. They had retired their colleague a few months ago.
elles elles avaient pensionné Elles avaient pensionné leur professeur en 2018. They had retired their teacher in 2018.

Other Conjugations for Pensionner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pensionner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pensionner – 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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