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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enclencher

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The English translation of the French verb enclencher is “to engage” or “to start up”. It is pronounced as “ahng-klon-shay” in its infinitive form.

Enclencher comes from the prefix “en-” which means “in” and the word “clenche” which means “lever” or “catch”. Together, they create the literal meaning of “putting in a lever”. In everyday French, enclencher is most often used in its Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English.

Here are three simple examples of how enclencher is used in Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais enclenché le mode avion avant de monter dans l’avion. (I had engaged airplane mode before boarding the plane.)
  2. Ils avaient enclenché le chauffage avant que nous arrivions à la maison. (They had turned on the heating before we arrived home.)
  3. Elle avait enclenché la machine à laver avant d’aller faire les courses. (She had started the washing machine before going grocery shopping.)

In all of these examples, the action of enclencher (engaging or starting up) happened before another past action, which is why the Plus-que-parfait tense is used. The use of enclencher in this tense adds a sense of completion or finality to the action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enclenché J’avais enclenché le moteur. I had started the engine.
tu tu avais enclenché Tu avais enclenché la machine. You had turned on the machine.
il il avait enclenché Il avait enclenché le processus. He had initiated the process.
elle elle avait enclenché Elle avait enclenché la sonnerie. She had set off the alarm.
on on avait enclenché On avait enclenché la sécurité. One had activated the security.
nous nous avions enclenché Nous avions enclenché l’alarme. We had triggered the alarm.
vous vous aviez enclenché Vous aviez enclenché le mécanisme. You had engaged the mechanism.
ils ils avaient enclenché Ils avaient enclenché l’ascenseur. They had started the elevator.
elles elles avaient enclenché Elles avaient enclenché la machine à laver. They had started the washing machine.

Other Conjugations for Enclencher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enclencher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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