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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb attifer

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The English translation of the French verb attifer is “to dress up” or “to deck out.” It is pronounced “ah-tee-fay.”

The language origin of attifer can be traced back to the Latin word “aptare,” meaning “to prepare.” In everyday French, it is primarily used in its infinitive form to describe the action of dressing up or wearing fancy clothing.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, attifer is used to describe an action that took place before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense, with the respective English translations:

  1. J’avais attifé ma fille avant le mariage. (I had dressed up my daughter before the wedding.)
  2. Tu avais attifé ta chemise avant de sortir. (You had dressed up your shirt before going out.)
  3. Elle avait attifé sa coiffure pour la soirée. (She had decked out her hairstyle for the party.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais attifé J’avais attifé la poupée. I had dressed up the doll.
tu tu avais attifé Tu avais attifé le sapin. You had dressed up the Christmas tree.
il il avait attifé Il avait attifé la table. He had dressed up the table.
elle elle avait attifé Elle avait attifé la maison. She had dressed up the house.
on on avait attifé On avait attifé la voiture. One had dressed up the car.
nous nous avions attifé Nous avions attifé la salle. We had dressed up the room.
vous vous aviez attifé Vous aviez attifé la boutique. You had dressed up the shop.
ils ils avaient attifé Ils avaient attifé le chien. They had dressed up the dog.
elles elles avaient attifé Elles avaient attifé la fête. They had dressed up the party.

Other Conjugations for Attifer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb attifer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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