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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb cuirasser

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The English translation of the French verb cuirasser is “to armor” or “to protect”. The infinitive form is pronounced “kwee-rah-seh”.

The word cuirasser has its origin in the French noun “cuirasse”, which means “breastplate” or “armor”. It comes from the Old French word “cuis” which means “hide” or “leather”. In everyday French, cuirasser is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe actions that were completed in the past before another past action.

Example 1: Je me suis cuirassé avant de partir. (I had armored myself before leaving.)
Example 2: Vous aviez cuirassé votre maison avant la tempête. (You had protected your house before the storm.)
Example 3: Ils s’étaient cuirassés contre les critiques. (They had armored themselves against the criticisms.)

English translations:
Example 1: I had armored myself before leaving.
Example 2: You had protected your house before the storm.
Example 3: They had armored themselves against the criticisms.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais cuirassé J’avais cuirassé mon cheval. I had equipped my horse with armor.
tu tu avais cuirassé Tu avais cuirassé ton corps. You had protected your body with armor.
il il avait cuirassé Il avait cuirassé son bateau. He had armored his boat.
elle elle avait cuirassé Elle avait cuirassé sa voiture. She had armored her car.
on on avait cuirassé On avait cuirassé le chien de garde. One had armored the guard dog.
nous nous avions cuirassé Nous avions cuirassé nos maisons. We had armored our houses.
vous vous aviez cuirassé Vous aviez cuirassé vos soldats. You had armored your soldiers.
ils ils avaient cuirassé Ils avaient cuirassé leurs tanks. They had armored their tanks.
elles elles avaient cuirassé Elles avaient cuirassé leurs avions. They had armored their planes.

Other Conjugations for Cuirasser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb cuirasser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Cuirasser – 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.

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