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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clicher

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The English translation of the French verb clicher is “to stereotype.” The infinitive form is pronounced “klee-shay.”

The word clicher comes from the French noun cliché, which means “stereotype” or “cliché.” It is derived from the printing technique where a metal plate is used to make multiple copies of an image or text. In everyday French, clicher is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

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

  1. J’avais souvent clicher les touristes comme des personnes riches et snobes. (I had often stereotyped tourists as rich and snobby people.)

  2. Elle avait été clicher comme une femme au foyer, mais elle était en fait PDG d’une grande entreprise. (She had been stereotyped as a housewife, but she was actually the CEO of a big company.)

  3. Nous avions toujours clicher les politiciens comme des menteurs, mais celui-ci a finalement tenu ses promesses. (We had always stereotyped politicians as liars, but this one finally kept his promises.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cliché J’avais cliché le paysage. I had taken a cliché of the landscape.
tu tu avais cliché Tu avais cliché la ville. You had taken a cliché of the city.
il il avait cliché Il avait cliché le monument. He had taken a cliché of the monument.
elle elle avait cliché Elle avait cliché la plage. She had taken a cliché of the beach.
on on avait cliché On avait cliché la tour. One had taken a cliché of the tower.
nous nous avions cliché Nous avions cliché l’église. We had taken a cliché of the church.
vous vous aviez cliché Vous aviez cliché le château. You had taken a cliché of the castle.
ils ils avaient cliché Ils avaient cliché le parc. They had taken a cliché of the park.
elles elles avaient cliché Elles avaient cliché la forêt. They had taken a cliché of the forest.

Other Conjugations for Clicher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clicher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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