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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb petit-déjeuner

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The English translation of the French verb petit-déjeuner is “to have/eat breakfast.” It is pronounced as “puh-tee day-juh-nay.”

The word petit-déjeuner is derived from the French words “petit” meaning “small” and “déjeuner” meaning “lunch.” It originated in the 17th century and was used to refer to a small meal eaten in the morning before the main meal of the day. Over time, it evolved to specifically refer to the first meal of the day.

In everyday French, the verb petit-déjeuner is most commonly used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action. For example, “I had eaten breakfast before I went to work.”

Here are three simple examples of petit-déjeuner in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais déjà petit-déjeuné avant d’aller à l’école. (I had already had breakfast before going to school.)
  2. Avant de partir en vacances, nous avions petit-déjeuné au café du coin. (Before leaving for vacation, we had breakfast at the local café.)
  3. Elle avait petit-déjeuné avec sa famille avant de partir pour Paris. (She had breakfast with her family before leaving for Paris.)

In these examples, the plus-que-parfait tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action, such as going to school, leaving for vacation, or leaving for Paris. The English translations also use the past perfect tense to convey the same meaning.

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

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Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais petit-déjeuné J’avais petit-déjeuné à l’hôtel. I had breakfast at the hotel.
tu tu avais petit-déjeuné Tu avais petit-déjeuné avec nous. You had breakfast with us.
il il avait petit-déjeuné Il avait petit-déjeuné trop tard. He had breakfast too late.
elle elle avait petit-déjeuné Elle avait petit-déjeuné chez elle. She had breakfast at her place.
on on avait petit-déjeuné On avait petit-déjeuné au café. One had breakfast at the café.
nous nous avions petit-déjeuné Nous avions petit-déjeuné ensemble. We had breakfast together.
vous vous aviez petit-déjeuné Vous aviez petit-déjeuné en famille. You had breakfast with your family.
ils ils avaient petit-déjeuné Ils avaient petit-déjeuné au restaurant. They had breakfast at the restaurant.
elles elles avaient petit-déjeuné Elles avaient petit-déjeuné à la maison. They had breakfast at home.

Other Conjugations for Petit-Déjeuner.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

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

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

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

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb petit-déjeuner

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

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Petit-Déjeuner – 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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