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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb pitonner

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The English translation of the French verb pitonner is “to punch” or “to jab.” It is pronounced “pee-tawn-ay.”

Pitonner comes from the French noun “piton,” which means “small peak” or “peak of a mountain.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe physical actions, such as punching or jabbing, or to describe the act of pressing buttons or keys on a keyboard or instrument.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, pitonner is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. Here are three examples:

  1. J’avais pitonné toutes les touches du piano avant que mon professeur n’arrive. (I had punched all the keys on the piano before my teacher arrived.)

  2. Tu avais pitonné le numéro de téléphone, mais personne n’a répondu. (You had dialed the phone number, but no one answered.)

  3. Il avait pitonné l’ascenseur pour descendre au sous-sol. (He had pressed the elevator button to go down to the basement.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais pitonné J’avais pitonné le mur. I had hammered in the piton.
tu tu avais pitonné Tu avais pitonné la roche. You had hammered in the piton.
il il avait pitonné Il avait pitonné la falaise. He had hammered in the piton.
elle elle avait pitonné Elle avait pitonné la paroi. She had hammered in the piton.
on on avait pitonné On avait pitonné la montagne. One had hammered in the piton.
nous nous avions pitonné Nous avions pitonné le terrain. We had hammered in the piton.
vous vous aviez pitonné Vous aviez pitonné le mur. You had hammered in the piton.
ils ils avaient pitonné Ils avaient pitonné le rocher. They had hammered in the piton.
elles elles avaient pitonné Elles avaient pitonné la falaise. They had hammered in the piton.

Other Conjugations for Pitonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb pitonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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