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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encaver

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The English translation of the French verb encaver is “to cave in” or “to give in”. It is pronounced as “ahn-kah-vay” in its infinitive form.

Encaver comes from the Latin word “cavare” which means “to dig” or “to hollow out”. In everyday French, it is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to express an action that had already happened in the past before another past action. It is commonly used to describe a person giving in to pressure or temptation.

Here are three examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations:

  1. J’avais encavé et accepté de prendre le dernier morceau de gâteau. (I had caved in and accepted to take the last piece of cake.)
  2. Ils avaient encavé et acheté le billet pour le concert malgré leur promesse de faire des économies. (They had given in and bought the ticket for the concert despite their promise to save money.)
  3. Elle avait encavé et dit oui à sa demande en mariage, même si elle n’était pas sûre de le vouloir vraiment. (She had caved in and said yes to his marriage proposal, even though she wasn’t sure if she really wanted it.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais encavé J’avais encavé le vin. I had put the wine in the cave.
tu tu avais encavé Tu avais encavé la bouteille. You had put the bottle in the cellar.
il il avait encavé Il avait encavé le fromage. He had put the cheese in the cave.
elle elle avait encavé Elle avait encavé les légumes. She had put the vegetables in the cellar.
on on avait encavé On avait encavé les bocaux. One had put the jars in the pantry.
nous nous avions encavé Nous avions encavé les conserves. We had put the preserves in the storage room.
vous vous aviez encavé Vous aviez encavé les bouteilles. You had put the bottles in the cellar.
ils ils avaient encavé Ils avaient encavé les tonneaux. They had put the barrels in the cellar.
elles elles avaient encavé Elles avaient encavé les caisses. They had put the crates in the cellar.

Other Conjugations for Encaver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encaver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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