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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enferrer

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The English translation of the French verb enferrer is “to trap” or “to ensnare.” It is pronounced as “ahn-fehr-RAY.”

The verb enferrer comes from the Old French enfariner, which means “to cover in flour.” In modern French, it is most often used in its figurative sense, meaning “to trap” or “to get caught.”

In everyday French, enferrer is most commonly used in the plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense. This tense is used to express an action that occurred before another past action. For example, “I had already trapped the mouse before the cat came in.”

Here are three simple examples of enferrer in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais enferré le renard avant qu’il ne dévore toutes mes poules. (I had trapped the fox before it could eat all my chickens.)
  2. Tu avais enferré le voleur avant qu’il ne puisse s’échapper. (You had trapped the thief before he could escape.)
  3. Il avait enferré sa proie avant que les autres animaux ne la lui volent. (He had trapped his prey before the other animals could steal it.)

In all three examples, the action of trapping occurred before another past action (le renard dévore, le voleur s’échapper, les autres animaux la volent).

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enferré J’avais enferré mon cheval. I had shod my horse.
tu tu avais enferré Tu avais enferré ton cheval. You had shod your horse.
il il avait enferré Il avait enferré son cheval. He had shod his horse.
elle elle avait enferré Elle avait enferré son cheval. She had shod her horse.
on on avait enferré On avait enferré son cheval. One had shod their horse.
nous nous avions enferré Nous avions enferré nos chevaux. We had shod our horses.
vous vous aviez enferré Vous aviez enferré vos chevaux. You had shod your horses.
ils ils avaient enferré Ils avaient enferré leurs chevaux. They had shod their horses.
elles elles avaient enferré Elles avaient enferré leurs chevaux. They had shod their horses.

Other Conjugations for Enferrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enferrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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