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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enfleurer

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The English translation of the French verb enfleurer is “to brush lightly” or “to skim.”

The infinitive form of enfleurer is pronounced “ahn-fleuh-ruh.”

Enfleurer comes from the French verb “fleurer,” which means “to brush, touch lightly, or scent.” The prefix “en” adds the meaning of “on” or “upon,” so enfleurer literally means “to touch lightly upon.”

In everyday French, enfleurer is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past tense of the past tense. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another past action.

Examples:

  1. J’avais enfleuré le gâteau avant qu’il ne soit complètement refroidi.
    Translation: I had lightly brushed the cake before it was completely cooled.

  2. Elle avait enfleuré ses joues avec un peu de poudre de maquillage.
    Translation: She had lightly dusted her cheeks with some makeup powder.

  3. Nous avions enfleuré le jardin avant que la pluie ne vienne tout gâcher.
    Translation: We had lightly sprinkled the garden before the rain came and ruined everything.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enfleuré J’avais enfleuré la pâtisserie. I had lightly dusted the pastry.
tu tu avais enfleuré Tu avais enfleuré les crêpes. You had lightly dusted the crepes.
il il avait enfleuré Il avait enfleuré le gâteau. He had lightly dusted the cake.
elle elle avait enfleuré Elle avait enfleuré la tarte. She had lightly dusted the tart.
on on avait enfleuré On avait enfleuré le dessert. One had lightly dusted the dessert.
nous nous avions enfleuré Nous avions enfleuré le chocolat. We had lightly dusted the chocolate.
vous vous aviez enfleuré Vous aviez enfleuré les cupcakes. You had lightly dusted the cupcakes.
ils ils avaient enfleuré Ils avaient enfleuré les pâtisseries. They had lightly dusted the pastries.
elles elles avaient enfleuré Elles avaient enfleuré les tartes. They had lightly dusted the tarts.

Other Conjugations for Enfleurer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enfleurer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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