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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pistonner

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The English translation of the French verb pistonner is “to grease palms/to use one’s influence.” It is pronounced as “pees-toe-nay” in its infinitive form.

The language origin of pistonner comes from the French word “piston,” which refers to a piston or the act of pushing something through forcefully. In everyday French, pistonner is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that had been completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais pistoné pour obtenir ce poste. (I had greased palms to get this job.)

  2. Ils avaient pistonné leur fils pour qu’il soit admis dans cette école prestigieuse. (They had used their influence to get their son admitted to this prestigious school.)

  3. Elle avait pistonné son ami pour qu’il obtienne une promotion. (She had pulled some strings for her friend to get a promotion.)

  4. I had greased palms to get this job.

  5. They had used their influence to get their son admitted to this prestigious school.

  6. She had pulled some strings for her friend to get a promotion.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pistonné J’avais pistonné pour obtenir le poste. I had pulled strings to get the job.
tu tu avais pistonné Tu avais pistonné pour accéder à l’université. You had used your connections to get into university.
il il avait pistonné Il avait pistonné pour obtenir une promotion. He had used his influence to get a promotion.
elle elle avait pistonné Elle avait pistonné pour avoir une place dans le programme. She had pulled strings to get a spot in the program.
on on avait pistonné On avait pistonné pour décrocher le contrat. One had used connections to secure the contract.
nous nous avions pistonné Nous avions pistonné pour obtenir des subventions. We had used our connections to obtain grants.
vous vous aviez pistonné Vous aviez pistonné pour obtenir une faveur. You had used your influence to get a favor.
ils ils avaient pistonné Ils avaient pistonné pour obtenir une place dans l’équipe. They had pulled strings to get a spot on the team.
elles elles avaient pistonné Elles avaient pistonné pour avoir une promotion. They had used their influence to get a promotion.

Other Conjugations for Pistonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pistonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pistonner – 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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