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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calfeutrer

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The English translation of the French verb calfeutrer is “to caulk” or “to seal off.” It is pronounced as “kal-fuh-truh.”

The word calfeutrer comes from the old French word “cauffeuter,” which meant “to close off.” It is derived from the word “cauf,” meaning “hot,” and “feutre,” meaning “felt.” This refers to the practice of using hot tar and felt to seal off cracks and gaps in a building. In modern French, calfeutrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Examples of calfeutrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais calfeutrĂ© toutes les fenĂȘtres avant la tempĂȘte. (I had caulked all the windows before the storm.)
  2. Les ouvriers avaient calfeutré les joints avec soin. (The workers had carefully sealed off the joints.)
  3. Les voisins avaient calfeutrĂ© leur porte d’entrĂ©e pour empĂȘcher les courants d’air. (The neighbors had sealed off their front door to prevent drafts.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais calfeutrĂ© J’avais calfeutrĂ© la fenĂȘtre. I had sealed the window.
tu tu avais calfeutré Tu avais calfeutré le trou. You had sealed the hole.
il il avait calfeutré Il avait calfeutré la porte. He had sealed the door.
elle elle avait calfeutrĂ© Elle avait calfeutrĂ© la fĂȘnetre. She had sealed the window.
on on avait calfeutré On avait calfeutré la porte. One had sealed the door.
nous nous avions calfeutré Nous avions calfeutré la fissure. We had sealed the crack.
vous vous aviez calfeutré Vous aviez calfeutré le trou. You had sealed the hole.
ils ils avaient calfeutrĂ© Ils avaient calfeutrĂ© la fenĂȘtre. They had sealed the window.
elles elles avaient calfeutré Elles avaient calfeutré la porte. They had sealed the door.

Other Conjugations for Calfeutrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer
   

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

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

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

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calfeutrer

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Calfeutrer – 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 “ĂȘtre” (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 mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (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 jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(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 mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (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 arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  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 passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© 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 diffĂ©remment” (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 calfeutrer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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