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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrayer

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The English translation of the French verb enrayer is “to stem” or “to stop”. The infinitive form is pronounced as “ahn-reh-yay”.

The word enrayer comes from the Old French word “enreverser” which means “to turn upside down”. It is derived from the Latin word “inversus” which means “to invert” or “to reverse”. In modern French, enrayer means to stop or prevent something from happening.

In everyday French, enrayer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect tense) to describe an action that had been completed before another past action or event. It is used to talk about something that happened in the past, but before another past event. It is often used in conjunction with the word “quand” (when) or “avant que” (before).

Here are three examples of its usage in the Plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais enrayer la propagation du feu quand les pompiers sont arrivés. (I had stopped the spreading of the fire when the firefighters arrived.)
  2. Elle avait enrayer la fuite d’eau avant que le plombier n’arrive. (She had stopped the water leak before the plumber arrived.)
  3. Nous avions enrayer la crise économique avant que l’entreprise ne fasse faillite. (We had stemmed the economic crisis before the company went bankrupt.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enrayé J’avais enrayé la chute. I had stopped the fall.
tu tu avais enrayé Tu avais enrayé le virus. You had stopped the virus.
il il avait enrayé Il avait enrayé la propagation. He had stopped the spread.
elle elle avait enrayé Elle avait enrayé l’épidémie. She had stopped the epidemic.
on on avait enrayé On avait enrayé la panique. One had stopped the panic.
nous nous avions enrayé Nous avions enrayé la crise. We had stopped the crisis.
vous vous aviez enrayé Vous aviez enrayé le conflit. You had stopped the conflict.
ils ils avaient enrayé Ils avaient enrayé le désastre. They had stopped the disaster.
elles elles avaient enrayé Elles avaient enrayé la catastrophe. They had stopped the catastrophe.

Other Conjugations for Enrayer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrayer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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