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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb plafonner

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The English translation of the French verb plafonner is “to reach a ceiling” or “to level off.” It is pronounced “plah-faw-nay” in the infinitive form.

The word plafonner comes from the Old French word “plafond,” meaning “ceiling” or “top.” It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of reaching a limit or maximum level, whether in a physical or figurative sense.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English, plafonner is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action or point in time. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais plafonné mes économies à 500 euros quand j’ai perdu mon emploi. (I had reached a limit of 500 euros in my savings when I lost my job.)

  2. Ils avaient plafonné le nombre d’invités à 50 personnes pour la fête. (They had capped the number of guests at 50 people for the party.)

  3. Elle avait plafonné ses performances et ne pouvait pas progresser davantage. (She had reached her peak performance and could not improve any further.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais plafonné J’avais plafonné à 200 km/h. I had reached 200 km/h.
tu tu avais plafonné Tu avais plafonné à ton maximum. You had reached your maximum.
il il avait plafonné Il avait plafonné à 300 euros. He had reached 300 euros.
elle elle avait plafonné Elle avait plafonné à 2 heures. She had reached 2 hours.
on on avait plafonné On avait plafonné à 100 points. One had reached 100 points.
nous nous avions plafonné Nous avions plafonné à 500 km. We had reached 500 km.
vous vous aviez plafonné Vous aviez plafonné à 50%. You had reached 50%.
ils ils avaient plafonné Ils avaient plafonné à 10 kg. They had reached 10 kg.
elles elles avaient plafonné Elles avaient plafonné à 5 minutes. They had reached 5 minutes.

Other Conjugations for Plafonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb plafonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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