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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enchevaucher

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The English translation of the French verb enchevaucher is “to overlap” or “to straddle.” It is pronounced as “ahn-shuh-voh-shay.”

Enchevaucher comes from the Old French word “chevaucher,” which means “to ride,” and the prefix “en-” which means “in” or “on.” It can be used in both a literal and figurative sense to describe something overlapping or covering something else.

In everyday French, enchevaucher 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 past action.

Example 1: J’avais enchevauchĂ© le pont avant que la tempĂȘte ne commence. (I had straddled the bridge before the storm started.)
Example 2: Les deux Ă©quipes s’Ă©taient enchevauchĂ©es pendant plusieurs annĂ©es avant de fusionner. (The two teams had overlapped for several years before merging.)
Example 3: Elle m’avait enchevauchĂ© dans les escaliers sans me voir. (She had straddled over me on the stairs without seeing me.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enchevauchĂ© J’avais enchevauchĂ© mon cheval. I had ridden my horse.
tu tu avais enchevauché Tu avais enchevauché ta moto. You had ridden your motorcycle.
il il avait enchevauché Il avait enchevauché son vélo. He had ridden his bike.
elle elle avait enchevauché Elle avait enchevauché sa jument. She had ridden her mare.
on on avait enchevauché On avait enchevauché le dromadaire. One had ridden the camel.
nous nous avions enchevauché Nous avions enchevauché nos montures. We had ridden our mounts.
vous vous aviez enchevauché Vous aviez enchevauché le taureau. You had ridden the bull.
ils ils avaient enchevauché Ils avaient enchevauché leurs chevaux. They had ridden their horses.
elles elles avaient enchevauché Elles avaient enchevauché leurs bicyclettes. They had ridden their bicycles.

Other Conjugations for Enchevaucher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enchevaucher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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