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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encombrer

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The English translation of the French verb encombrer is “to clutter/to obstruct.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-kohm-bray.”

Encombrer comes from the Old French word “encombrer” which means “to block/obstruct.” It is derived from the Latin prefix “in” which means “in” and the verb “combrare” which means “to put in disorder.” In everyday French, encombrer is often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais encombré ma chambre avant de partir en vacances. (I had cluttered my room before leaving for vacation.)
  2. Nous avions encombré la route avec nos vélos. (We had obstructed the road with our bikes.)
  3. Tu avais encombré la cuisine avec tes affaires. (You had cluttered the kitchen with your things.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais encombré J’avais encombré la cuisine. I had cluttered the kitchen.
tu tu avais encombré Tu avais encombré la salle de bains. You had cluttered the bathroom.
il il avait encombré Il avait encombré le couloir. He had cluttered the hallway.
elle elle avait encombré Elle avait encombré la chambre. She had cluttered the bedroom.
on on avait encombré On avait encombré le salon. One had cluttered the living room.
nous nous avions encombré Nous avions encombré le garage. We had cluttered the garage.
vous vous aviez encombré Vous aviez encombré le grenier. You had cluttered the attic.
ils ils avaient encombré Ils avaient encombré le sous-sol. They had cluttered the basement.
elles elles avaient encombré Elles avaient encombré la cave. They had cluttered the cellar.

Other Conjugations for Encombrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encombrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Encombrer – 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.

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