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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb refléter

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The English translation of the French verb refléter is “to reflect.” It is pronounced “ruh-fle-tay.”

Refléter comes from the Latin word “reflectere,” meaning “to bend back.” It is most commonly used in everyday French to describe the action of causing something to be reflected or mirrored.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, refléter is used to describe a past action that occurred before another past action. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” conjugated in the imparfait tense, followed by the past participle “refléter.”

For example:

  1. J’avais reflété la lumière sur le mur avant qu’elle ne s’éteigne. (I had reflected the light on the wall before it turned off.)
  2. Tu avais reflété l’image dans le miroir avant de partir. (You had reflected the image in the mirror before leaving.)
  3. Ils avaient reflété leur amour dans leurs regards avant de se séparer. (They had reflected their love in their gazes before parting ways.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais reflété J’avais reflété la lumière. I had reflected the light.
tu tu avais reflété Tu avais reflété ton visage. You had reflected your face.
il il avait reflété Il avait reflété la beauté du paysage. He had reflected the beauty of the landscape.
elle elle avait reflété Elle avait reflété ses pensées. She had reflected her thoughts.
on on avait reflété On avait reflété les couleurs de l’arc-en-ciel. One had reflected the colors of the rainbow.
nous nous avions reflété Nous avions reflété nos émotions. We had reflected our emotions.
vous vous aviez reflété Vous aviez reflété votre personnalité. You had reflected your personality.
ils ils avaient reflété Ils avaient reflété leurs expériences. They had reflected their experiences.
elles elles avaient reflété Elles avaient reflété leur amitié. They had reflected their friendship.

Other Conjugations for Refléter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb refléter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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