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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enrôler

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The English translation of the French verb enrôler is “to enroll” or “to enlist.” It is pronounced as “ahn-roh-lay.”

Enrôler comes from the Old French word “enroler,” which comes from the Latin word “enrollare,” meaning “to enter in a list.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense to talk about an action that had already taken place before another past action.

Examples in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais enrôlé mon fils dans un club de football avant qu’il ne décide d’arrêter. (I had enrolled my son in a football club before he decided to quit.)
  2. Elle avait enrôlé ses amis pour l’aider à déménager. (She had enlisted her friends to help her move.)
  3. Nous avions été enrôlés dans l’armée pendant la guerre. (We had been drafted into the army during the war.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enrôlé J’avais enrôlé des soldats. I had recruited soldiers.
tu tu avais enrôlé Tu avais enrôlé des volontaires. You had enlisted volunteers.
il il avait enrôlé Il avait enrôlé un nouveau membre. He had recruited a new member.
elle elle avait enrôlé Elle avait enrôlé des étudiants. She had recruited students.
on on avait enrôlé On avait enrôlé des travailleurs. One had hired workers.
nous nous avions enrôlé Nous avions enrôlé des participants. We had enrolled participants.
vous vous aviez enrôlé Vous aviez enrôlé des bénévoles. You had enlisted volunteers.
ils ils avaient enrôlé Ils avaient enrôlé des recrues. They had recruited recruits.
elles elles avaient enrôlé Elles avaient enrôlé des agents. They had recruited agents.

Other Conjugations for Enrôler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enrôler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Enrôler – 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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