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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enfanter

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The English translation of the French verb enfanter is “to give birth”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-fahn-tay”.

The word enfanter comes from the Old French word “enfantez” meaning “to give birth”. It is derived from the Latin word “infans” meaning “child”. In everyday French, enfanter 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 was completed before another past action.

Here are three examples of enfanter in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais enfanté trois enfants avant d’avoir trente ans. (I had given birth to three children before I turned thirty.)
  2. Tu avais enfanté des jumeaux avant de te marier. (You had given birth to twins before getting married.)
  3. Elle avait enfanté un garçon avant de déménager en France. (She had given birth to a boy before moving to France.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enfanté J’avais enfanté une fille. I had given birth to a girl.
tu tu avais enfanté Tu avais enfanté des jumeaux. You had given birth to twins.
il il avait enfanté Il avait enfanté un garçon. He had given birth to a boy.
elle elle avait enfanté Elle avait enfanté un bébé. She had given birth to a baby.
on on avait enfanté On avait enfanté trois enfants. One had given birth to three children.
nous nous avions enfanté Nous avions enfanté une famille. We had given birth to a family.
vous vous aviez enfanté Vous aviez enfanté un enfant. You had given birth to a child.
ils ils avaient enfanté Ils avaient enfanté une fille et un garçon. They had given birth to a girl and a boy.
elles elles avaient enfanté Elles avaient enfanté deux jumeaux. They had given birth to two twins.

Other Conjugations for Enfanter.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enfanter
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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