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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb engrener

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The English translation of the French verb engrener is “to gear”, and its infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-gruh-neh”.

The word engrener comes from the Old French term “engrenier” which means “to put in a granary”. It is derived from the Latin word “granum” which means “grain”. In everyday French, engrener is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense, to talk about an action that had been completed before another past action or event.

Examples:

  1. J’avais engrené la première vitesse avant de démarrer la voiture. (I had geared up the first gear before starting the car.)
  2. Nous avions déjà engrené le projet avant que le budget ne soit approuvé. (We had already set in motion the project before the budget was approved.)
  3. Elle avait engrené ses études avant de partir en voyage. (She had initiated her studies before going on a trip.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais engrené J’avais engrené le mécanisme. I had engaged the mechanism.
tu tu avais engrené Tu avais engrené la chaîne. You had engaged the chain.
il il avait engrené Il avait engrené la roue. He had engaged the wheel.
elle elle avait engrené Elle avait engrené le moteur. She had engaged the engine.
on on avait engrené On avait engrené les engrenages. One had engaged the gears.
nous nous avions engrené Nous avions engrené le système. We had engaged the system.
vous vous aviez engrené Vous aviez engrené le levier. You had engaged the lever.
ils ils avaient engrené Ils avaient engrené le frein. They had engaged the brake.
elles elles avaient engrené Elles avaient engrené la poulie. They had engaged the pulley.

Other Conjugations for Engrener.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb engrener
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Engrener – 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.

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