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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engamer

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The English translation of the French verb engamer is “to engage” or “to commit oneself.” It is pronounced as “ahn-gah-may” in the infinitive form.

The word engamer comes from the French word “gamer,” meaning “to marry” or “to unite.” The prefix “en” adds the meaning of “to put into” or “to bring into.” Therefore, the literal translation of engamer is “to put into marriage” or “to unite.”

In everyday French, engamer 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 simple examples of engamer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais engagé ma fille dans une école de danse depuis plusieurs années avant qu’elle n’arrête pour poursuivre une carrière en médecine. (I had enrolled my daughter in a dance school for several years before she quit to pursue a career in medicine.)
  2. Ils avaient engagé un consultant pour les aider à développer leur entreprise avant de réaliser qu’ils pouvaient le faire eux-mêmes. (They had hired a consultant to help them develop their business before realizing they could do it themselves.)
  3. Tu avais engagé une discussion avec lui sur le sujet avant qu’il ne devienne trop émotif pour continuer. (You had engaged in a discussion with him about the topic before he became too emotional to continue.)

In these examples, the action of engamer (to engage) happened before another past action and is therefore in the Plus-que-parfait tense. The English translations also use the past perfect tense to convey the same meaning.

In conclusion, engamer is a French verb meaning “to engage” or “to commit oneself.” It is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to describe an action that was completed before another past action.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais engamé J’avais engamé le pion. I had placed the pawn.
tu tu avais engamé Tu avais engamé la bille. You had pocketed the ball.
il il avait engamé Il avait engamé le ballon. He had trapped the ball.
elle elle avait engamé Elle avait engamé la boule. She had sunk the ball.
on on avait engamé On avait engamé la boule. One had sunk the ball.
nous nous avions engamé Nous avions engamé le pion. We had placed the pawn.
vous vous aviez engamé Vous aviez engamé la balle. You had struck the ball.
ils ils avaient engamé Ils avaient engamé le dard. They had thrown the dart.
elles elles avaient engamé Elles avaient engamé le pion. They had placed the pawn.

Other Conjugations for Engamer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engamer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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