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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engraver

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The English translation of the French verb engraver is “to engrave.” It is pronounced “ahn-grah-vay” in its infinitive form.

The word engraver comes from the Old French term “engraver,” which means “to carve or cut into.” It is most often used in everyday French to refer to the act of carving or cutting into a hard surface to create a design or inscription.

In the plus-que-parfait tense, engraver is used to describe an action that had been completed in the past before another past event. It is formed by conjugating the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imperfect tense and adding the past participle “gravé” after it.

Three simple examples of engraver in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations are:

  1. J’avais gravé son nom sur le bracelet avant de lui offrir en cadeau. (I had engraved his name on the bracelet before giving it to him as a gift.)

  2. Elle avait gravé ses initiales sur l’arbre quand elle était enfant. (She had carved her initials on the tree when she was a child.)

  3. Nous avions gravé nos noms sur la table en bois lors de notre premier anniversaire de mariage. (We had engraved our names on the wooden table during our first wedding anniversary.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais gravé J’avais gravé mon nom sur l’arbre. I had engraved my name on the tree.
tu tu avais gravé Tu avais gravé ta signature sur le papier. You had engraved your signature on the paper.
il il avait gravé Il avait gravé un message sur la pierre. He had engraved a message on the stone.
elle elle avait gravé Elle avait gravé une image sur le verre. She had engraved an image on the glass.
on on avait gravé On avait gravé un dessin sur le bois. One had engraved a drawing on the wood.
nous nous avions gravé Nous avions gravé nos initiales sur le banc. We had engraved our initials on the bench.
vous vous aviez gravé Vous aviez gravé des mots sur le métal. You had engraved words on the metal.
ils ils avaient gravé Ils avaient gravé des symboles sur la pierre. They had engraved symbols on the stone.
elles elles avaient gravé Elles avaient gravé des motifs sur le tissu. They had engraved patterns on the fabric.

Other Conjugations for Engraver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engraver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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