Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Introduction to the verb commencer
The English translation of the French verb commencer is “to begin” or “to start.” It is pronounced as “ko-mahn-seh” in its infinitive form.
The word commencer comes from the Latin word “cominitiare,” which means “to initiate.” In everyday French, it is commonly used as an action verb to indicate the start of an activity or process.
In the Plus-que-parfait tense, commencer is used to describe an action that had already started and was completed in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense followed by the past participle of commencer, which is “commencé.”
Three examples of commencer used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations, are:
- J’avais commencé à écrire mon essai lorsque mon ordinateur a planté. (I had started writing my essay when my computer crashed.)
- Nous avions commencé à manger quand soudain la lumière s’est éteinte. (We had started eating when suddenly the lights went out.)
- Ils avaient commencé à travailler ensemble il y a plusieurs années. (They had started working together several years ago.)
Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of commencer
Pronoun | Conjugation | Short Example | English Translation |
---|---|---|---|
je | j’avais commencé | J’avais commencé à écrire. | I had started writing. |
tu | tu avais commencé | Tu avais commencé à travailler. | You had started working. |
il | il avait commencé | Il avait commencé à parler. | He had started talking. |
elle | elle avait commencé | Elle avait commencé à chanter. | She had started singing. |
on | on avait commencé | On avait commencé à marcher. | One had started walking. |
nous | nous avions commencé | Nous avions commencé à danser. | We had started dancing. |
vous | vous aviez commencé | Vous aviez commencé à manger. | You had started eating. |
ils | ils avaient commencé | Ils avaient commencé à jouer. | They had started playing. |
elles | elles avaient commencé | Elles avaient commencé à dormir. | They had started sleeping. |
Other Conjugations for Commencer.
Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer (this article)
Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb commencer
Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥
Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the commencer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!
Commencer – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense
Tense Formation
Common everyday usage patterns
Sequencing of past events
Background information
Hypothetical or reported speech
Interactions with other tenses
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb commencer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!