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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb clôturer

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The English translation of the French verb clôturer is “to close, to fence off, to conclude.” It is pronounced as “klo-tyuh-ray.”

The word clôturer comes from the Old French word “cloture,” which means “enclosure.” It is derived from the Latin word “claudere,” meaning “to close.” In everyday French, clôturer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that was completed in the past, before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais clôturé mon compte bancaire avant de déménager. (I had closed my bank account before moving.)

  2. Nous avions clôturé la vente de la maison avant de partir en vacances. (We had concluded the sale of the house before going on vacation.)

  3. Tu avais clôturé le dossier avant la date limite. (You had finished the file before the deadline.)

English translations:

  1. I had closed my bank account before moving.

  2. We had concluded the sale of the house before going on vacation.

  3. You had finished the file before the deadline.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais clôturé J’avais clôturé le dossier. I had closed the file.
tu tu avais clôturé Tu avais clôturé la réunion. You had closed the meeting.
il il avait clôturé Il avait clôturé le chantier. He had closed the construction site.
elle elle avait clôturé Elle avait clôturé la vente. She had closed the sale.
on on avait clôturé On avait clôturé le compte. One had closed the account.
nous nous avions clôturé Nous avions clôturé le concours. We had closed the competition.
vous vous aviez clôturé Vous aviez clôturé le projet. You had closed the project.
ils ils avaient clôturé Ils avaient clôturé l’évènement. They had closed the event.
elles elles avaient clôturé Elles avaient clôturé la fête. They had closed the party.

Other Conjugations for Clôturer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb clôturer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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