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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pilonner

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The English translation of the French verb pilonner is “to pound, to pummel, to beat.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pee-loh-nay.”

The word pilonner comes from the noun pilon, meaning “pestle,” which in turn comes from the Latin word pilum, meaning “javelin” or “dagger.” This verb is often associated with the action of using a pestle to crush or grind something, and it can also be used in a figurative sense to describe a forceful, repetitive action.

In everyday French, pilonner is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that had been repeated or ongoing in the past. This tense is formed by using the auxiliary verb avoir or être in the imperfect tense followed by the past participle of the main verb.

Here are three simple examples of pilonner used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Les manifestants avaient pilonné les portes du palais présidentiel. (The protestors had been pounding on the doors of the presidential palace.)

  2. Pendant la réunion, les participants avaient pilonné le présentateur de questions. (During the meeting, the participants had been bombarding the presenter with questions.)

  3. L’équipe adverse avait été pilonnée par les attaques répétées de notre équipe. (The opposing team had been pummeled by our team’s repeated attacks.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pilonné J’avais pilonné le riz. I had pounded the rice.
tu tu avais pilonné Tu avais pilonné la terre. You had pounded the ground.
il il avait pilonné Il avait pilonné le bois. He had pounded the wood.
elle elle avait pilonné Elle avait pilonné la viande. She had pounded the meat.
on on avait pilonné On avait pilonné la roche. One had pounded the rock.
nous nous avions pilonné Nous avions pilonné le maïs. We had pounded the corn.
vous vous aviez pilonné Vous aviez pilonné le béton. You had pounded the concrete.
ils ils avaient pilonné Ils avaient pilonné les noix. They had pounded the nuts.
elles elles avaient pilonné Elles avaient pilonné le sucre. They had pounded the sugar.

Other Conjugations for Pilonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pilonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pilonner – 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.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb pilonner. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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