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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enchevêtrer

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The English translation of the French verb enchevêtrer is “to tangle” or “to entangle.” It is pronounced as “ahn-she-ve-treh.”

The language origin of enchevêtrer is from the Old French word “enchevetrer,” which comes from the Latin word “in-complexare,” meaning “to intertwine.” This verb is most often used in every day French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is equivalent to the past perfect tense in English and indicates an action that was completed before another past action.

Three simple examples of using enchevêtrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais enchevêtré mes doigts dans les cordes de la guitare avant de commencer à jouer. (I had tangled my fingers in the guitar strings before starting to play.)

  2. Les branches des arbres s’étaient enchevêtrées dans les fils électriques à cause de la tempête. (The tree branches had become entangled in the electrical wires due to the storm.)

  3. Nous avions enchevêtré nos problèmes personnels avec nos projets professionnels. (We had entangled our personal problems with our professional projects.)

English translations:

  1. I had tangled my fingers in the guitar strings before starting to play.
  2. The tree branches had become entangled in the electrical wires due to the storm.
  3. We had entangled our personal problems with our professional projects.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enchevêtré J’avais enchevêtré mes idées. I had tangled up my thoughts.
tu tu avais enchevêtré Tu avais enchevêtré le fil. You had tangled up the thread.
il il avait enchevêtré Il avait enchevêtré ses jambes. He had tangled up his legs.
elle elle avait enchevêtré Elle avait enchevêtré ses cheveux. She had tangled up her hair.
on on avait enchevêtré On avait enchevêtré le câble. One had tangled up the cable.
nous nous avions enchevêtré Nous avions enchevêtré nos plans. We had tangled up our plans.
vous vous aviez enchevêtré Vous aviez enchevêtré les fils. You had tangled up the wires.
ils ils avaient enchevêtré Ils avaient enchevêtré les branches. They had tangled up the branches.
elles elles avaient enchevêtré Elles avaient enchevêtré les écharpes. They had tangled up the scarves.

Other Conjugations for Enchevêtrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enchevêtrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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