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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enjuguer

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The English translation of the French verb enjuguer is “to conjugate.” The infinitive form of enjuguer is pronounced as “ahn-zhoo-gey.”

Enjuguer comes from the Old French word “jugier,” meaning “to join, unite.” It ultimately comes from the Latin word “iugare,” meaning “to join, yoke.”

In everyday French, enjuguer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that had already been completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of enjuguer in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their respective English translations:

  1. J’avais enjugé tous les verbes avant de commencer le test. (I had conjugated all the verbs before starting the test.)

  2. Tu avais enjugé le verbe “être” à tous les temps. (You had conjugated the verb “to be” in all tenses.)

  3. Ils avaient enjugé les verbes irréguliers plusieurs fois avant de les comprendre. (They had conjugated the irregular verbs several times before understanding them.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enjugé J’avais enjugé mes erreurs. I had corrected my mistakes.
tu tu avais enjugé Tu avais enjugé ton comportement. You had corrected your behavior.
il il avait enjugé Il avait enjugé la situation. He had corrected the situation.
elle elle avait enjugé Elle avait enjugé son attitude. She had corrected her attitude.
on on avait enjugé On avait enjugé ses erreurs. One had corrected their mistakes.
nous nous avions enjugé Nous avions enjugé nos mauvaises habitudes. We had corrected our bad habits.
vous vous aviez enjugé Vous aviez enjugé vos défauts. You had corrected your flaws.
ils ils avaient enjugé Ils avaient enjugé leurs erreurs. They had corrected their mistakes.
elles elles avaient enjugé Elles avaient enjugé leurs fautes. They had corrected their faults.

Other Conjugations for Enjuguer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enjuguer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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