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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calciner

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of calciner. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb calciner is “to calcine.” The infinitive form, “calciner,” is pronounced “kahl-see-nay.”

The word “calciner” comes from the Latin word “calcīnāre,” which means “to burn lime.” It is a regular -er verb in French, and it is most often used in its past tense form, “calciner,” meaning “calcined,” as well as the past participle form, “calciné,” meaning “calcined.”

In everyday French, the verb calciner is used to indicate the process of heating a substance to a high temperature, often in order to extract a substance or to create a chemical reaction. It is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the literary past tense in French that expresses an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of calciner in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais calciné le calcaire pour obtenir de la chaux. (I had calcined the limestone to obtain lime.)
  2. Tu avais calciné les métaux pour les rendre plus résistants. (You had calcined the metals to make them more resistant.)
  3. Ils avaient calciné les os pour les transformer en poudre. (They had calcined the bones to turn them into powder.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais calciné J’avais calciné le bois. I had burned the wood.
tu tu avais calciné Tu avais calciné la plante. You had incinerated the plant.
il il avait calciné Il avait calciné la viande. He had burned the meat.
elle elle avait calciné Elle avait calciné le papier. She had charred the paper.
on on avait calciné On avait calciné le tissu. One had burned the fabric.
nous nous avions calciné Nous avions calciné la peinture. We had burned the paint.
vous vous aviez calciné Vous aviez calciné le plastique. You had melted the plastic.
ils ils avaient calciné Ils avaient calciné le métal. They had burnt the metal.
elles elles avaient calciné Elles avaient calciné le verre. They had fused the glass.

Other Conjugations for Calciner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calciner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the calciner Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply