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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb colorier

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The English translation of the French verb colorier is “to color” or “to color in.” It is pronounced “koh-luh-ryey.”

The word colorier comes from the French word couleur, meaning “color,” and the suffix -ier, which is used to form verbs from nouns.

In everyday French, colorier 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 before another action in the past.

Examples:

  1. J’avais colorié tous les dessins avant que tu arrives. (I had colored all the drawings before you arrived.)
  2. Elle avait colorié sa chambre avant de partir en vacances. (She had colored her room before leaving on vacation.)
  3. Nous avions colorié nos livres avant le début du cours. (We had colored our books before the start of class.)

In each of these examples, the action of coloring (colorier) was completed before another event or action in the past. This tense is commonly used in storytelling or when describing a sequence of events.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais colorié J’avais colorié la fleur en rouge. I had colored the flower in red.
tu tu avais colorié Tu avais colorié le ciel en bleu. You had colored the sky in blue.
il il avait colorié Il avait colorié la voiture en vert. He had colored the car in green.
elle elle avait colorié Elle avait colorié la maison en jaune. She had colored the house in yellow.
on on avait colorié On avait colorié le soleil en orange. One had colored the sun in orange.
nous nous avions colorié Nous avions colorié les arbres en marron. We had colored the trees in brown.
vous vous aviez colorié Vous aviez colorié la mer en bleu. You had colored the sea in blue.
ils ils avaient colorié Ils avaient colorié les fleurs en violet. They had colored the flowers in purple.
elles elles avaient colorié Elles avaient colorié les feuilles en vert. They had colored the leaves in green.

Other Conjugations for Colorier.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb colorier
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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