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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enharnacher

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The English translation of the French verb enharnacher is “to adorn” or “to decorate”. It is pronounced as “ahn-ar-nash-ay”.

Enharnacher comes from the Old French term “harnachier”, which means “to equip with harness”. It is derived from the Germanic word “harnaz”, meaning “armor” or “equipment”. Over time, the meaning of the word evolved to refer to adorning or decorating, especially with ornate horse harnesses or carriages. Today, enharnacher is commonly used in everyday French to describe the act of adding decorative elements to something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, enharnacher is used to describe a past action that was completed before another past action. Here are three simple examples of its usage in this tense:

  1. J’avais enharnaché ma robe avant d’aller à la soirée. (I had adorned my dress before going to the party.)
  2. Elle avait enharnaché son appartement pour les fêtes de Noël. (She had decorated her apartment for Christmas.)
  3. Nous avions enharnaché le sapin de Noël avant que les invités n’arrivent. (We had adorned the Christmas tree before the guests arrived.)

In all of these examples, enharnacher is used to describe a completed action that took place before another past action. It is commonly used in both spoken and written French in various contexts, such as describing the preparation for a special event or the decoration of a space or object.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enharnaché J’avais enharnaché le cheval. I had decked out the horse.
tu tu avais enharnaché Tu avais enharnaché la voiture. You had decked out the car.
il il avait enharnaché Il avait enharnaché le bateau. He had decked out the boat.
elle elle avait enharnaché Elle avait enharnaché la calèche. She had decked out the carriage.
on on avait enharnaché On avait enharnaché le chariot. One had decked out the cart.
nous nous avions enharnaché Nous avions enharnaché le chien. We had decked out the dog.
vous vous aviez enharnaché Vous aviez enharnaché le bâtiment. You had decked out the building.
ils ils avaient enharnaché Ils avaient enharnaché le camion. They had decked out the truck.
elles elles avaient enharnaché Elles avaient enharnaché le vélo. They had decked out the bicycle.

Other Conjugations for Enharnacher.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enharnacher
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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