Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Introduction to the verb calquer
The English translation of the French verb calquer is “to copy” or “to trace.” It is pronounced “kal-keh.”
The word “calquer” comes from the Latin word “calcāre,” meaning “to stamp” or “to press.” It entered the French language in the 16th century and originally meant “to trace a design onto paper or canvas.” Over time, it took on the broader meaning of copying or imitating.
In everyday French, “calquer” is most often used in the Passé Antérieur tense, which is the literary past tense and expresses an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the passé simple tense and adding the past participle of the main verb.
Here are three examples of “calquer” used in the Passé Antérieur tense with their English translations:
-
J’ai calqué son dessin avant de le colorier.
(I traced his drawing before coloring it.) -
Elle a calqué le style de sa mère dans sa façon de s’habiller.
(She copied her mother’s style in the way she dressed.) -
Nous avons calqué notre stratégie sur celle de nos concurrents.
(We copied our strategy from our competitors.)
In all of these examples, “calquer” is used to indicate the action of copying or imitating something. It is often used in a negative context, implying a lack of originality or creativity. However, it can also be used neutrally or positively to simply describe the act of copying.
Table of the Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of calquer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’eusse | J’eusse calqué | I had traced |
tu | tu eusses | Tu eusses calqué | You had traced |
il | il eût | Il eût calqué | He had traced |
elle | elle eût | Elle eût calqué | She had traced |
on | on eût | On eût calqué | One had traced |
nous | nous eûmes | Nous eûmes calqué | We had traced |
vous | vous eûtes | Vous eûtes calqué | You had traced |
ils | ils eurent | Ils eurent calqué | They had traced |
elles | elles eurent | Elles eurent calqué | They had traced |
Other Conjugations for Calquer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer (this article)
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calquer
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Calquer – About the French Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense
Formation of the Passé Antérieur
Common Usage Patterns
Literature
Historical Texts
Formal Writing
Interactions with Other Tenses
Passé Composé (Present Perfect)
Imparfait (Imperfect)
Futur Antérieur (Future Perfect)
Summary
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