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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb concélébrer

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The English translation of the French verb concélébrer is “to concelebrate.” The infinitive form, concélébrer, is pronounced as “kohn-seh-leh-bray.”

The word concélébrer comes from the Latin word “concelebrare,” which means “to celebrate together.” It is primarily used in religious contexts, particularly in the Catholic Church, to describe the act of two or more priests celebrating a mass or liturgy together.

In everyday French, concélébrer 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 past action.

Here are three simple examples of how concélébrer is used in the plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Les prêtres avaient concélébré la messe de Pâques ensemble. (The priests had concelebrated the Easter mass together.)
  2. Nous avions déjà concélébré plusieurs fois avant de devenir curés. (We had already concelebrated several times before becoming priests.)
  3. Elles avaient concélébré la messe de mariage de leur frère. (They had concelebrated their brother’s wedding mass.)

In these examples, concélébrer is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action. It emphasizes the idea of priests celebrating together and the fact that this took place before another event or action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais concélébré J’avais concélébré avec mes collègues. I had concelebrated with my colleagues.
tu tu avais concélébré Tu avais concélébré pour la première fois. You had concelebrated for the first time.
il il avait concélébré Il avait concélébré à l’église du village. He had concelebrated at the village church.
elle elle avait concélébré Elle avait concélébré la messe de Noël. She had concelebrated the Christmas mass.
on on avait concélébré On avait concélébré la messe dominicale. One had concelebrated the Sunday mass.
nous nous avions concélébré Nous avions concélébré ensemble pour la fête. We had concelebrated together for the holiday.
vous vous aviez concélébré Vous aviez concélébré avec le pape. You had concelebrated with the Pope.
ils ils avaient concélébré Ils avaient concélébré pour le mariage. They had concelebrated for the wedding.
elles elles avaient concélébré Elles avaient concélébré à la cérémonie funéraire. They had concelebrated at the funeral service.

Other Conjugations for Concélébrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb concélébrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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