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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pinceauter

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The English translation of the French verb pinceauter is “to dab on paint” or “to touch up with a brush.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pens-oh-tay.”

The word pinceauter comes from the French word “pinceau,” meaning brush, and the suffix “-oter,” used to form verbs.

In everyday French, pinceauter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and the past participle of pinceauter, which is “pinceauté.”

Example 1: J’avais pinceauté les murs avant que mes invités n’arrivent.
Translation: I had dabbed paint on the walls before my guests arrived.

Example 2: Tu avais pinceauté les meubles avant de les vendre.
Translation: You had touched up the furniture before selling them.

Example 3: Ils avaient pinceauté les volets avant que la pluie n’arrive.
Translation: They had painted the shutters before the rain arrived.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pinceauté J’avais pinceauté le mur. I had painted the wall.
tu tu avais pinceauté Tu avais pinceauté la porte. You had painted the door.
il il avait pinceauté Il avait pinceauté le plafond. He had painted the ceiling.
elle elle avait pinceauté Elle avait pinceauté le meuble. She had painted the furniture.
on on avait pinceauté On avait pinceauté le sol. One had painted the floor.
nous nous avions pinceauté Nous avions pinceauté la clôture. We had painted the fence.
vous vous aviez pinceauté Vous aviez pinceauté la façade. You had painted the facade.
ils ils avaient pinceauté Ils avaient pinceauté la maison. They had painted the house.
elles elles avaient pinceauté Elles avaient pinceauté la porte. They had painted the door.

Other Conjugations for Pinceauter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pinceauter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pinceauter – 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 pinceauter. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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