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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb crisper

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The English translation of the French verb crisper is “to become crisper” or “to make crisper.” It is pronounced as “kree-spae” in its infinitive form.

The word crisper comes from the French word “craquant,” meaning “crunchy” or “crispy.” It is most often used in French in its reflexive form, se crisper, which means “to tense up” or “to become tense.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, crisper is used to talk about something that had become crisper in the past. For example:

  1. J’avais crisper les feuilles de salade pour la salade César. (I had made the lettuce leaves crisper for the Caesar salad.)
  2. Les températures avaient crisper l’air en automne. (The temperatures had made the air crisper in autumn.)
  3. Elle avait crisper les muscles de ses jambes après la séance de course à pied. (She had tensed up the muscles in her legs after the running session.)

The English translations for these sentences would be:

  1. I had made the lettuce leaves crisper for the Caesar salad.
  2. The temperatures had made the air crisper in autumn.
  3. She had tensed up the muscles in her legs after the running session.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais crispé J’avais crispé mes muscles. I had tensed my muscles.
tu tu avais crispé Tu avais crispé ton visage. You had tensed your face.
il il avait crispé Il avait crispé sa main. He had clenched his hand.
elle elle avait crispé Elle avait crispé ses sourcils. She had furrowed her eyebrows.
on on avait crispé On avait crispé nos poings. One had clenched our fists.
nous nous avions crispé Nous avions crispé nos mâchoires. We had clenched our jaws.
vous vous aviez crispé Vous aviez crispé vos épaules. You had tensed your shoulders.
ils ils avaient crispé Ils avaient crispé leurs muscles. They had tensed their muscles.
elles elles avaient crispé Elles avaient crispé leurs mains. They had clenched their hands.

Other Conjugations for Crisper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb crisper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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