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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en contrebalancer

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of en contrebalancer. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

The English translation of the French verb en contrebalancer is “to counterbalance” or “to offset.”

The infinitive form of en contrebalancer is pronounced as “ahn kohn-truh-bah-lahn-say.”

En contrebalancer is derived from the French prefix “en,” meaning “in” or “within,” and the verb “contrebalancer,” meaning “to counterbalance.” Together, en contrebalancer means “to balance within” or “to offset.”

In everyday French, en contrebalancer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past.

Here are three examples of en contrebalancer used in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais en contrebalancĂ© mes dĂ©penses en Ă©conomisant sur mes sorties. (I had counterbalanced my expenses by saving on my outings.)

  2. Tu avais en contrebalancé ta colÚre en te concentrant sur le positif. (You had counterbalanced your anger by focusing on the positive.)

  3. Ils avaient en contrebalancé leurs erreurs en travaillant plus dur. (They had counterbalanced their mistakes by working harder.)

In all of these examples, en contrebalancer is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. In English, the verb “to have” is used to form the Plus-que-parfait tense, while in French, the auxiliary verb “avoir” is used. The past participle form of en contrebalancer, “contrebalancĂ©,” is used in all three examples.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais contrebalancĂ© J’avais contrebalancĂ© les effets. I had counterbalanced the effects.
tu tu avais contrebalancé Tu avais contrebalancé le poids. You had counterbalanced the weight.
il il avait contrebalancé Il avait contrebalancé la situation. He had counterbalanced the situation.
elle elle avait contrebalancé Elle avait contrebalancé la force. She had counterbalanced the force.
on on avait contrebalancé On avait contrebalancé les actions. One had counterbalanced the actions.
nous nous avions contrebalancĂ© Nous avions contrebalancĂ© l’effet. We had counterbalanced the effect.
vous vous aviez contrebalancé Vous aviez contrebalancé le mouvement. You had counterbalanced the movement.
ils ils avaient contrebalancé Ils avaient contrebalancé la pression. They had counterbalanced the pressure.
elles elles avaient contrebalancé Elles avaient contrebalancé la tension. They had counterbalanced the tension.

Other Conjugations for En Contrebalancer.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

    PassĂ© Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

    PassĂ© ComposĂ© (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

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

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

    PassĂ© AntĂ©rieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

    Futur AntĂ©rieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

    Subjonctif PrĂ©sent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

    Subjonctif PassĂ© (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

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

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

    Conditionnel PrĂ©sent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer
   

    Conditionnel PassĂ© (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

    L’impĂ©ratif PrĂ©sent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

    L’infinitif PrĂ©sent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en contrebalancer

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation đŸ”„

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the en contrebalancer Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

En Contrebalancer – 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 “ĂȘtre” (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 mangĂ© (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlĂ© (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 jouĂ© (They had played)
2. With “ĂȘtre” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’Ă©tais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu Ă©tais arrivĂ©(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on Ă©tait tombĂ©(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous Ă©tions restĂ©(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous Ă©tiez nĂ©(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles Ă©taient montĂ©(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 mangĂ© avant qu’il ne soit arrivĂ©” (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 arrivĂ©, ils avaient dĂ©jĂ  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 passĂ© composĂ© (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passĂ© composĂ© 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 diffĂ©remment” (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 en contrebalancer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

Similar Posts