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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entonner

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The English translation of the French verb entonner is “to intone” or “to start singing.” It is pronounced as “on-ton-ay.”

The language origin of entonner can be traced back to the Latin word “intonare,” meaning “to thunder or announce with a loud voice.” In everyday French, it is most often used in its past tense form, the Plus-que-parfait, to describe an action that had started and was completed before another past action.

Three simple examples of entonner in the Plus-que-parfait tense, with their English translations, are:

  1. J’avais entonné une chanson quand mes invités sont arrivés. (I had started singing a song when my guests arrived.)
  2. Elle avait entonné le refrain avec beaucoup d’émotion. (She had intoned the chorus with a lot of emotion.)
  3. Ils avaient entonné un chant joyeux pour célébrer leur victoire. (They had started singing a joyful song to celebrate their victory.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais entonné J’avais entonné une chanson. I had sung a song.
tu tu avais entonné Tu avais entonné la mélodie. You had sung the melody.
il il avait entonné Il avait entonné un chant. He had sung a chant.
elle elle avait entonné Elle avait entonné une symphonie. She had sung a symphony.
on on avait entonné On avait entonné un air. One had sung a tune.
nous nous avions entonné Nous avions entonné l’hymne national. We had sung the national anthem.
vous vous aviez entonné Vous aviez entonné le refrain. You had sung the chorus.
ils ils avaient entonné Ils avaient entonné une chanson populaire. They had sung a popular song.
elles elles avaient entonné Elles avaient entonné une berceuse. They had sung a lullaby.

Other Conjugations for Entonner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entonner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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