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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb enstérer

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The English translation of the French verb enstérer is “to bury” or “to inter.” The infinitive form of enstérer is pronounced as “ahn-steh-ray.”

The language origin of enstérer can be traced back to the Latin word “instaurare,” meaning “to restore” or “to renew.” In French, it has evolved to have a more specific meaning of “burying” or “laying to rest.”

In everyday French, enstérer 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 was completed before another past action.

Three examples of enstérer in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. Les funérailles étaient déjà passées quand j’ai appris que mon grand-père avait été ensterré. (The funeral had already passed when I found out that my grandfather had been buried.)

  2. Les archéologues ont découvert des squelettes ensterrés dans les ruines de la ville romaine. (Archaeologists discovered buried skeletons in the ruins of the Roman city.)

  3. Nous savions que la potion devait être ensterrée avant que le soleil ne se couche. (We knew that the potion had to be buried before the sun set.)

English translations:

  1. The funeral had already passed when I found out that my grandfather had been buried.
  2. Archaeologists discovered buried skeletons in the ruins of the Roman city.
  3. We knew that the potion had to be buried before the sun set.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais enstéré J’avais enstéré mon argent dans le coffre-fort. I had stashed my money in the safe.
tu tu avais enstéré Tu avais enstéré ton secret dans un message codé. You had hidden your secret in a coded message.
il il avait enstéré Il avait enstéré les preuves dans un tiroir. He had buried the evidence in a drawer.
elle elle avait enstéré Elle avait enstéré ses bijoux dans un coffret. She had stored her jewelry in a box.
on on avait enstéré On avait enstéré le trésor dans une grotte. One had hidden the treasure in a cave.
nous nous avions enstéré Nous avions enstéré nos documents dans un dossier. We had filed our documents in a folder.
vous vous aviez enstéré Vous aviez enstéré les plans dans un placard. You had tucked the plans in a closet.
ils ils avaient enstéré Ils avaient enstéré les clés dans un coffre. They had hidden the keys in a safe.
elles elles avaient enstéré Elles avaient enstéré leur secret dans une boîte. They had stashed their secret in a box.

Other Conjugations for Enstérer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb enstérer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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