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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engouffrer

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The English translation of the French verb engouffrer is “to engulf” or “to swallow up.” The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-goo-freh.”

The word engouffrer is derived from the French word “gouffre” which means “abyss” or “chasm.” It is most often used in everyday French in its past tense form, plus-que-parfait, which indicates an action that took place before another action in the past.

Here are three examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais engouffré un sandwich avant d’aller au travail. (I had engulfed a sandwich before going to work.)
  2. Les flammes avaient engouffré la maison en quelques minutes. (The flames had engulfed the house in a matter of minutes.)
  3. Elle m’avait engouffré dans une conversation interminable. (She had swallowed me up in an endless conversation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais engouffré J’avais engouffré toute la nourriture. I had engulfed all the food.
tu tu avais engouffré Tu avais engouffré ta bière en un instant. You had chugged your beer in an instant.
il il avait engouffré Il avait engouffré sa chemise dans son pantalon. He had tucked his shirt into his pants.
elle elle avait engouffré Elle avait engouffré ses cheveux sous un chapeau. She had stuffed her hair under a hat.
on on avait engouffré On avait engouffré tout notre matériel dans le coffre. One had packed all our gear into the trunk.
nous nous avions engouffré Nous avions engouffré les provisions dans nos sacs. We had stuffed the provisions in our bags.
vous vous aviez engouffré Vous aviez engouffré vos pieds dans vos bottes. You had stuck your feet into your boots.
ils ils avaient engouffré Ils avaient engouffré leurs mains dans leurs poches. They had shoved their hands into their pockets.
elles elles avaient engouffré Elles avaient engouffré leurs livres dans leurs sacs. They had stuffed their books into their bags.

Other Conjugations for Engouffrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engouffrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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