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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb calligraphier

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The English translation of the French verb calligraphier is “to calligraph.”

Pronunciation: [ka-lee-gra-fee-ay]

The word calligraphier comes from the Greek roots kallos, meaning “beauty,” and graphein, meaning “to write.” It entered the French language in the 18th century and refers to the art of beautiful handwriting.

In everyday French, calligraphier is most often used in the past tense form, like the Plus-que-parfait, to refer to an action that had been completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais calligraphié les invitations avant que les invités n’arrivent. (I had calligraphed the invitations before the guests arrived.)

  2. Elle avait calligraphié son nom sur l’enveloppe avec soin. (She had carefully calligraphed her name on the envelope.)

  3. Nous avions calligraphié les noms des invités sur les cartes de place. (We had calligraphed the names of the guests on the place cards.)

In these examples, the action of calligraphing had been completed before the other past action took place.

English translations:

  1. I had calligraphed / I had written in calligraphy / I had used calligraphy to write the invitations before the guests arrived.

  2. She had calligraphed / She had written in calligraphy / She had used calligraphy to write her name on the envelope with care.

  3. We had calligraphed / We had written in calligraphy / We had used calligraphy to write the names of the guests on the place cards.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais calligraphié J’avais calligraphié un poème. I had calligraphed a poem.
tu tu avais calligraphié Tu avais calligraphié une lettre. You had calligraphed a letter.
il il avait calligraphié Il avait calligraphié son nom. He had calligraphed his name.
elle elle avait calligraphié Elle avait calligraphié le titre. She had calligraphed the title.
on on avait calligraphié On avait calligraphié un dessin. One had calligraphed a drawing.
nous nous avions calligraphié Nous avions calligraphié un document. We had calligraphed a document.
vous vous aviez calligraphié Vous aviez calligraphié une invitation. You had calligraphed an invitation.
ils ils avaient calligraphié Ils avaient calligraphié des invitations. They had calligraphed invitations.
elles elles avaient calligraphié Elles avaient calligraphié des cartes. They had calligraphed cards.

Other Conjugations for Calligraphier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb calligraphier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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