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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb endetter

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The English translation of the French verb endetter is “to put into debt” or “to incur indebtedness.” The infinitive form, endetter, is pronounced as “ahn-det-teh.”

The word endetter comes from the Latin word “densus,” meaning “dense” or “thick,” which later evolved into the French word “dette,” meaning “debt.” This root word alludes to the concept of accumulating debts and the burden it can bring.

In everyday French, endetter is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to express an action that occurred before another past action. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” in the imparfait tense followed by the past participle of the verb.

Here are three simple examples of endetter in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. Elle s’était endettée auprès de sa famille avant de perdre son emploi.
    (She had incurred debts from her family before losing her job.)

  2. Tu t’étais endetté en achetant cette voiture de luxe.
    (You had put yourself into debt by buying this luxury car.)

  3. Nous nous étions endettés pour financer nos études à l’étranger.
    (We had incurred indebtedness to finance our studies abroad.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais endetté J’avais endetté mon entreprise. I had put my company in debt.
tu tu avais endetté Tu avais endetté tes parents. You had put your parents in debt.
il il avait endetté Il avait endetté sa compagnie. He had put his company in debt.
elle elle avait endetté Elle avait endetté son mari. She had put her husband in debt.
on on avait endetté On avait endetté la ville. One had put the city in debt.
nous nous avions endetté Nous avions endetté notre pays. We had put our country in debt.
vous vous aviez endetté Vous aviez endetté votre entreprise. You had put your company in debt.
ils ils avaient endetté Ils avaient endetté leur compagnie. They had put their company in debt.
elles elles avaient endetté Elles avaient endetté leur famille. They had put their family in debt.

Other Conjugations for Endetter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb endetter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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