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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb châtrer

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The English translation of the French verb châtrer is “to castrate.” It is pronounced as “sha-trer” in its infinitive form.

The word châtrer comes from the Latin word “castrare” which means “to cut off, castrate.” It entered the French language in the 13th century and was initially used in the context of removing the testicles of animals for farming purposes. Over time, it came to be used in a more figurative sense to mean “to deprive of strength or vitality.”

In everyday French, châtrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates a past action that was completed before another past action. In this tense, it is conjugated as “j’avais châtré” for the first-person singular form. Some common expressions using châtrer in this tense include “j’avais châtré mon chien” (I had castrated my dog), “elle avait été châtrée par la société” (she had been castrated by society), and “nous avions châtré notre équipe adverse” (we had castrated our opposing team).

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

  1. J’avais châtré mon chat avant qu’il ne commence à marquer son territoire. (I had castrated my cat before he started marking his territory.)
  2. Les Romains avaient pour habitude de châtrer les esclaves pour les rendre plus dociles. (The Romans used to castrate slaves to make them more docile.)
  3. Ils avaient été châtrés de leur pouvoir par le coup d’état. (They had been castrated of their power by the coup d’état.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais châtré J’avais châtré le chat sauvage. I had neutered the feral cat.
tu tu avais châtré Tu avais châtré le chien agressif. You had neutered the aggressive dog.
il il avait châtré Il avait châtré le lapin mâle. He had neutered the male rabbit.
elle elle avait châtré Elle avait châtré la chatte errante. She had spayed the stray cat.
on on avait châtré On avait châtré le cheval de course. One had castrated the racehorse.
nous nous avions châtré Nous avions châtré le taureau. We had neutered the bull.
vous vous aviez châtré Vous aviez châtré le bélier. You had castrated the ram.
ils ils avaient châtré Ils avaient châtré le porc. They had castrated the pig.
elles elles avaient châtré Elles avaient châtré la truie. They had sterilized the sow.

Other Conjugations for Châtrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb châtrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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