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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb barber

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English translation: The English translation of the French verb barber is “to cut hair” or “to give a haircut.” It can also be translated as “to shave.”

Pronunciation: The infinitive form of barber is pronounced as “bar-bay” with the emphasis on the second syllable.

Language origin: The word “barber” comes from the Latin word “barba” meaning “beard,” and “barberius” meaning “barber.” In French, the word “barbier” has been in use since the 12th century.

Usage in Plus-que-parfait tense: In the Plus-que-parfait tense, barber is used to indicate an action that had been completed before another past action or event. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imparfait tense and the past participle of barber, which is “barbé.”

Examples:

  1. J’avais barbé mes cheveux avant de partir en vacances. (I had cut my hair before leaving on vacation.)
  2. Tu avais barbé ta barbe avant d’aller à ton entretien d’embauche. (You had shaved your beard before going to your job interview.)
  3. Il avait barbé les cheveux de sa fille pour sa fête d’anniversaire. (He had given a haircut to his daughter for her birthday party.)

English translations:

  1. I had cut my hair before leaving on vacation.
  2. You had shaved your beard before going to your job interview.
  3. He had given a haircut to his daughter for her birthday party.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais barbé J’avais barbé le client. I had shaved the client.
tu tu avais barbé Tu avais barbé ton ami. You had shaved your friend.
il il avait barbé Il avait barbé sa barbe. He had shaved his beard.
elle elle avait barbé Elle avait barbé ses sourcils. She had shaved her eyebrows.
on on avait barbé On avait barbé les moutons. One had shaved the sheep.
nous nous avions barbé Nous avions barbé nos visages. We had shaved our faces.
vous vous aviez barbé Vous aviez barbé votre barbe. You had shaved your beard.
ils ils avaient barbé Ils avaient barbé leurs moustaches. They had shaved their mustaches.
elles elles avaient barbé Elles avaient barbé leurs jambes. They had shaved their legs.

Other Conjugations for Barber.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb barber
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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