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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb créneler

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The English translation of the French verb créneler is “to crenellate.” It is pronounced as “kreh-nuh-leh.”

Créneler comes from the French word “crénelé” which means “crenulated” or “notched.” It is derived from the Latin word “crenella” which means “little notch.”

In everyday French, créneler is most often used to describe the act of adding notches or indentations, usually on the top of a wall or fortress. This is done for defensive purposes, allowing defenders to shoot through the spaces between the notches while providing cover from enemy fire.

Examples in Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. Les soldats avaient crénelé les murs du château pour se protéger des attaques ennemies. – The soldiers had crenellated the walls of the castle to protect themselves from enemy attacks.
  2. Avant la bataille, les architectes avaient crénelé les fortifications pour renforcer leur défense. – Before the battle, the architects had crenellated the fortifications to strengthen their defense.
  3. La vieille ville était entourée de hauts murs crénélés qui lui donnaient un aspect médiéval. – The old town was surrounded by tall crenelated walls that gave it a medieval look.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais crénelé J’avais crénelé le mur. I had notched the wall.
tu tu avais crénelé Tu avais crénelé le sol. You had notched the ground.
il il avait crénelé Il avait crénelé le toit. He had notched the roof.
elle elle avait crénelé Elle avait crénelé la porte. She had notched the door.
on on avait crénelé On avait crénelé la clôture. One had notched the fence.
nous nous avions crénelé Nous avions crénelé le pont. We had notched the bridge.
vous vous aviez crénelé Vous aviez crénelé le mur. You had notched the wall.
ils ils avaient crénelé Ils avaient crénelé la tour. They had notched the tower.
elles elles avaient crénelé Elles avaient crénelé le château. They had notched the castle.

Other Conjugations for Créneler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb créneler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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