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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encaustiquer

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The English translation of the French verb encaustiquer is “to wax” or “to polish.” The infinitive form, encaustiquer, is pronounced as “ahn-koh-sti-kay.”

The word encaustiquer comes from the French word “caustique,” meaning “caustic” or “burning.” It is derived from the Latin word “causticus,” which has the same meaning. In everyday French, encaustiquer is most often used to refer to the act of applying wax or polish to a surface, usually for the purpose of shining or protecting it. It can also be used more generally to mean “to shine” or “to polish.”

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, encaustiquer 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, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais encaustiqué mes chaussures avant d’aller à la fête. (I had waxed my shoes before going to the party.)
  2. Elle avait encaustiqué la table pour la protéger des taches. (She had polished the table to protect it from stains.)
  3. Nous avions encaustiqué la voiture hier, mais elle est déjà sale. (We had waxed the car yesterday, but it’s already dirty.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais encaustiqué J’avais encaustiqué la table. I had waxed the table.
tu tu avais encaustiqué Tu avais encaustiqué le meuble. You had waxed the furniture.
il il avait encaustiqué Il avait encaustiqué le sol. He had waxed the floor.
elle elle avait encaustiqué Elle avait encaustiqué la voiture. She had waxed the car.
on on avait encaustiqué On avait encaustiqué le parquet. One had waxed the parquet.
nous nous avions encaustiqué Nous avions encaustiqué le bois. We had waxed the wood.
vous vous aviez encaustiqué Vous aviez encaustiqué le plancher. You had waxed the floor.
ils ils avaient encaustiqué Ils avaient encaustiqué la porte. They had waxed the door.
elles elles avaient encaustiqué Elles avaient encaustiqué le mur. They had waxed the wall.

Other Conjugations for Encaustiquer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encaustiquer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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