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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb perfectionner

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The English translation of the French verb perfectionner is “to perfect” or “to improve.” It is pronounced as “pair-fek-see-on-ay.”

Perfectionner comes from the French word “perfection” which comes from the Latin word “perfectio,” meaning “completeness” or “excellence.” In everyday French, perfectionner is often used in its infinitive form to describe the act of improving or perfecting something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense (pluperfect tense in English), perfectionner is used to express an action that had been perfected or improved in the past. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’avais perfectionnĂ© mon français avant de partir en France. (I had perfected my French before going to France.)
  2. Elle avait perfectionné ses compétences en cuisine en travaillant dans un grand restaurant. (She had improved her cooking skills by working in a fine restaurant.)
  3. Nous avions perfectionné notre présentation avant de la présenter devant le public. (We had perfected our presentation before delivering it in front of the audience.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais perfectionnĂ© J’avais perfectionnĂ© ma technique. I had perfected my technique.
tu tu avais perfectionné Tu avais perfectionné ton français. You had perfected your French.
il il avait perfectionné Il avait perfectionné son anglais. He had perfected his English.
elle elle avait perfectionné Elle avait perfectionné sa cuisine. She had perfected her cooking.
on on avait perfectionné On avait perfectionné nos compétences. One had improved our skills.
nous nous avions perfectionné Nous avions perfectionné notre produit. We had perfected our product.
vous vous aviez perfectionné Vous aviez perfectionné votre technique. You had perfected your technique.
ils ils avaient perfectionné Ils avaient perfectionné leur jeu. They had perfected their game.
elles elles avaient perfectionné Elles avaient perfectionné leur style. They had perfected their style.

Other Conjugations for Perfectionner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner
   

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

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

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

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb perfectionner

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

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Perfectionner – 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 “ĂȘtre” (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 mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (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 jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(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 mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (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 arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  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 passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© 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 diffĂ©remment” (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 perfectionner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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