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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encastrer

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The English translation of the French verb encastrer is “to embed” or “to fit into.” It is pronounced as “ahn-kah-stray.”

Encastrer comes from the Old French word “encaster,” which comes from the Latin word “incastrare,” meaning “to fit into.” In modern French, encastrer is primarily used in the context of construction and design to describe the action of fitting one object into another or embedding an object into a larger structure.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, encastrer is used to describe an action that had been completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais encastré les étagères dans le mur avant que les plombiers arrivent. (I had embedded the shelves into the wall before the plumbers arrived.)
  2. Tu avais encastré les pierres sur la façade de la maison avant de peindre. (You had fitted the stones onto the façade of the house before painting.)
  3. Il avait encastré les pièces du puzzle avant que ses amis ne viennent jouer. (He had fitted the puzzle pieces together before his friends came to play.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais encastré J’avais encastré l’armoire. I had embedded the cabinet.
tu tu avais encastré Tu avais encastré le miroir. You had embedded the mirror.
il il avait encastré Il avait encastré la lampe. He had embedded the lamp.
elle elle avait encastré Elle avait encastré la prise. She had embedded the outlet.
on on avait encastré On avait encastré le câble. One had embedded the cable.
nous nous avions encastré Nous avions encastré l’étagère. We had embedded the shelf.
vous vous aviez encastré Vous aviez encastré le placard. You had embedded the closet.
ils ils avaient encastré Ils avaient encastré le tiroir. They had embedded the drawer.
elles elles avaient encastré Elles avaient encastré la clé. They had embedded the key.

Other Conjugations for Encastrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encastrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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