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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enflécher

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The English translation of the French verb enflécher is “to feather” or “to fletch.” The infinitive form of enflécher is pronounced “ahn-fleh-shay.”

Enflécher comes from the Old French word “enflecher” which meant “to fix feathers on an arrow.” It is derived from the Latin word “flectere” which means “to bend” or “to curve.”

In everyday French, enflécher is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to express an action that was completed in the past before another past action. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and the past participle of the main verb.

Three simple examples of using enflécher in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais enfléché mes flèches avant de partir à la chasse. (I had fletched my arrows before going hunting.)

  2. Quand tu es arrivé, j’avais déjà enfléché toutes les flèches. (When you arrived, I had already fletched all the arrows.)

  3. Les archers avaient enfléché leurs flèches avec soin pour le tournoi. (The archers had carefully fletched their arrows for the tournament.)

  4. I had fletched my arrows before going hunting.

  5. When you arrived, I had already fletched all the arrows.

  6. The archers had carefully fletched their arrows for the tournament.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je m’étais enfléché Je m’étais enfléché avec de l’eau. I had rinsed myself with water.
tu t’étais enfléché Tu t’étais enfléché avec du vinaigre. You had rinsed yourself with vinegar.
il s’était enfléché Il s’était enfléché après le repas. He had rinsed himself after the meal.
elle s’était enfléché Elle s’était enfléché les mains. She had rinsed her hands.
on s’était enfléché On s’était enfléché les cheveux. One had rinsed their hair.
nous nous étions enfléchés Nous étions enfléchés avec de l’eau. We had rinsed ourselves with water.
vous vous étiez enfléchés Vous étiez enfléchés avec du vinaigre. You had rinsed yourselves with vinegar.
ils étaient enfléchés Ils étaient enfléchés après le repas. They had rinsed themselves after the meal.
elles étaient enfléchées Elles étaient enfléchées les mains. They had rinsed their hands.

Other Conjugations for Enflécher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enflécher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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