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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cinématographier

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The English translation of the French verb cinématographier is “to film” or “to make a movie.” The infinitive form is pronounced “see-nay-mah-toh-grah-fee-ay.”

The word cinématographier comes from the combination of the Greek words “kinesis” meaning “movement” and “graphein” meaning “to write or record.” It was first used in the late 19th century to refer to the process of capturing moving images and projecting them onto a screen.

In everyday French, cinématographier is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which indicates an action that had already been completed in the past before another action took place. It is often used to describe a movie that was made before a certain event.

Three examples of its usage in this tense are:

  1. J’avais cinématographié ce film avant mon départ pour l’étranger. (I had filmed this movie before leaving for abroad.)

  2. Elle avait cinématographié de nombreux documentaires avant de se lancer dans la fiction. (She had filmed many documentaries before getting into fiction.)

  3. Ils avaient cinématographié cette scène plusieurs fois avant d’être satisfaits du résultat. (They had filmed this scene several times before being satisfied with the result.)

English translations:

  1. I had filmed this movie before leaving for abroad.

  2. She had filmed many documentaries before getting into fiction.

  3. They had filmed this scene several times before being satisfied with the result.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cinématographié J’avais cinématographié la scène. I had filmed the scene.
tu tu avais cinématographié Tu avais cinématographié le film. You had filmed the movie.
il il avait cinématographié Il avait cinématographié le documentaire. He had filmed the documentary.
elle elle avait cinématographié Elle avait cinématographié la série. She had filmed the series.
on on avait cinématographié On avait cinématographié le court-métrage. One had filmed the short film.
nous nous avions cinématographié Nous avions cinématographié le long-métrage. We had filmed the feature film.
vous vous aviez cinématographié Vous aviez cinématographié le clip. You had filmed the music video.
ils ils avaient cinématographié Ils avaient cinématographié le spectacle. They had filmed the show.
elles elles avaient cinématographié Elles avaient cinématographié le court-métrage. They had filmed the short film.

Other Conjugations for Cinématographier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cinématographier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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