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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb charcuter

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The English translation of the French verb charcuter is “to prepare or make charcuterie” or “to butcher or cut up (meat)”. It is pronounced “shar-koo-tay” in the infinitive form.

Charcuter comes from the Old French word “charcutier” which means “pork butcher” and is derived from the Latin word “carn- (flesh) and “coctum” (cooked). In everyday French, it refers to the practice of making and selling various cured or preserved meats, such as sausages, pâtés, and terrines.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, charcuter is used to describe an action that was completed in the past before another action or event took place. It is formed with the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense followed by the past participle “charcuté”.

Examples:

  1. J’avais charcuté le jambon avant que mes invités n’arrivent. (I had prepared the ham before my guests arrived.)
  2. Elle avait déjà charcuté le canard quand je suis arrivé à la cuisine. (She had already butchered the duck when I arrived in the kitchen.)
  3. Nous avions charcuté le porc pour le mettre en conserve. (We had cut up the pork to can it.)

English translations:

  1. I had prepared the ham before my guests arrived.
  2. She had already butchered the duck when I arrived in the kitchen.
  3. We had cut up the pork to can it.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais charcuté J’avais charcuté le porc. I had butchered the pork.
tu tu avais charcuté Tu avais charcuté le poulet. You had butchered the chicken.
il il avait charcuté Il avait charcuté la viande. He had butchered the meat.
elle elle avait charcuté Elle avait charcuté le jambon. She had butchered the ham.
on on avait charcuté On avait charcuté le bœuf. One had butchered the beef.
nous nous avions charcuté Nous avions charcuté le lapin. We had butchered the rabbit.
vous vous aviez charcuté Vous aviez charcuté le saucisson. You had butchered the sausage.
ils ils avaient charcuté Ils avaient charcuté le canard. They had butchered the duck.
elles elles avaient charcuté Elles avaient charcuté le veau. They had butchered the veal.

Other Conjugations for Charcuter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb charcuter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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