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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb en tirer

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The English translation of the French verb en tirer is “to take from” or “to draw from.” The infinitive form of en tirer is pronounced “ahn tee-reh.”

The language origin of en tirer comes from the French verb tirer, which means “to take” or “to pull.” The prefix en adds the meaning of “out” or “from,” giving the verb en tirer its specific meaning of “to take out or draw from.”

In everyday French, en tirer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.

Here are three simple examples of the usage of en tirer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais en tiré un enseignement précieux de mon expérience. (I had drawn a valuable lesson from my experience.)

  2. Ils avaient en tiré des conclusions hâtives avant d’avoir tous les faits. (They had drawn hasty conclusions before having all the facts.)

  3. Elle avait en tiré une grande satisfaction de son travail acharné. (She had taken great satisfaction from her hard work.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’en avais tiré J’en avais tiré une leçon. I had drawn a lesson from it.
tu tu en avais tiré Tu en avais tiré une conclusion. You had drawn a conclusion from it.
il il en avait tiré Il en avait tiré un enseignement. He had drawn a teaching from it.
elle elle en avait tiré Elle en avait tiré une révélation. She had drawn a revelation from it.
on on en avait tiré On en avait tiré une morale. One had drawn a moral from it.
nous nous en avions tiré Nous en avions tiré un avantage. We had drawn an advantage from it.
vous vous en aviez tiré Vous en aviez tiré un profit. You had drawn a profit from it.
ils ils en avaient tiré Ils en avaient tiré une leçon. They had drawn a lesson from it.
elles elles en avaient tiré Elles en avaient tiré une expérience. They had drawn an experience from it.

Other Conjugations for En Tirer.

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

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

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb en tirer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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En Tirer – 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 en tirer. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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