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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enjoliver

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The English translation of the French verb enjoliver is “to embellish” or “to make more beautiful.” It is pronounced as “ahn-zhol-ee-vay.”

The word enjoliver is derived from the Old French word “jolif,” meaning “pretty” or “merry.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe the act of adding decorative or ornamental elements to something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, enjoliver is used to talk about an action that was completed in the past before another action also in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) in the imparfait tense and the past participle of enjoliver, which is “enjolivé.”

Here are three examples of enjoliver in the Plus-que-parfait tense and their English translations:

  1. J’avais enjolivé la pièce avant que mes invités n’arrivent. (I had embellished the room before my guests arrived.)
  2. Nous avions enjolivé nos costumes pour le bal masqué. (We had embellished our costumes for the masquerade ball.)
  3. Ils avaient enjolivé leur jardin avec des fleurs colorées. (They had adorned their garden with colorful flowers.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enjolivé J’avais enjolivé mes cheveux. I had embellished my hair.
tu tu avais enjolivé Tu avais enjolivé ta robe. You had embellished your dress.
il il avait enjolivé Il avait enjolivé la pièce. He had embellished the room.
elle elle avait enjolivé Elle avait enjolivé sa voix. She had embellished her voice.
on on avait enjolivé On avait enjolivé la table. One had embellished the table.
nous nous avions enjolivé Nous avions enjolivé la maison. We had embellished the house.
vous vous aviez enjolivé Vous aviez enjolivé la voiture. You had embellished the car.
ils ils avaient enjolivé Ils avaient enjolivé la vitrine. They had embellished the shop window.
elles elles avaient enjolivé Elles avaient enjolivé leur tenue. They had embellished their outfit.

Other Conjugations for Enjoliver.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enjoliver
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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