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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb dénombrer

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The English translation of dénombrer is “to count” or “to enumerate.” The infinitive form is pronounced as [day-non-bray].

Dénombrer comes from the Old French word “denombrer,” which is derived from the Latin word “denumerare” meaning “to count.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the action of counting or listing items or numbers.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, dénombrer is used to express an action that was completed in the past before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the Imparfait tense, followed by the past participle of dénombrer.

Here are three simple examples of dénombrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais dénombré tous les invités avant l’arrivée de mes parents. (I had counted all the guests before my parents arrived.)
  2. Tu étais déjà parti(e) quand j’ai dénombré les chaises. (You had already left when I counted the chairs.)
  3. Ils étaient fatigués parce qu’ils avaient dénombré tous les livres dans la bibliothèque. (They were tired because they had counted all the books in the library.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais dénombré J’avais dénombré les invités. I had counted the guests.
tu tu avais dénombré Tu avais dénombré les livres. You had counted the books.
il il avait dénombré Il avait dénombré les pièces. He had counted the coins.
elle elle avait dénombré Elle avait dénombré les fleurs. She had counted the flowers.
on on avait dénombré On avait dénombré les étoiles. One had counted the stars.
nous nous avions dénombré Nous avions dénombré les objets. We had counted the objects.
vous vous aviez dénombré Vous aviez dénombré les élèves. You had counted the students.
ils ils avaient dénombré Ils avaient dénombré les animaux. They had counted the animals.
elles elles avaient dénombré Elles avaient dénombré les pâtisseries. They had counted the pastries.

Other Conjugations for Dénombrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb dénombrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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