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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb entrecouper

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The English translation of the French verb entrecouper is “to interrupt” or “to interject.” It is pronounced as “ahn-truh-koo-pey” in its infinitive form.

The word entrecouper comes from the Latin roots “inter” meaning “between” and “coup” meaning “a blow,” which gives it the literal meaning of “to cut between.” In everyday French, it is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect) to express an action that had been interrupted in the past.

Example 1: J’avais entrecoupé mon travail pour répondre à un coup de téléphone. (I had interrupted my work to answer a phone call.)

Example 2: Nous avions entrecoupé notre conversation quand quelqu’un a frappé à la porte. (We had interrupted our conversation when someone knocked on the door.)

Example 3: Ils avaient entrecoupé leur voyage pour faire une pause déjeuner. (They had interrupted their trip to have lunch.)

In each of these examples, the action of entrecouper (interrupting) had already been completed in the past, and another action or event had occurred afterwards. This tense is used to show the interruption as a completed action, rather than an ongoing one.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais entrecoupé J’avais entrecoupé mon discours. I had interrupted my speech.
tu tu avais entrecoupé Tu avais entrecoupé la musique. You had interrupted the music.
il il avait entrecoupé Il avait entrecoupé la conversation. He had interrupted the conversation.
elle elle avait entrecoupé Elle avait entrecoupé le film. She had interrupted the movie.
on on avait entrecoupé On avait entrecoupé le cours. One had interrupted the class.
nous nous avions entrecoupé Nous avions entrecoupé le silence. We had interrupted the silence.
vous vous aviez entrecoupé Vous aviez entrecoupé votre discours. You had interrupted your speech.
ils ils avaient entrecoupé Ils avaient entrecoupé la chanson. They had interrupted the song.
elles elles avaient entrecoupé Elles avaient entrecoupé leur conversation. They had interrupted their conversation.

Other Conjugations for Entrecouper.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb entrecouper
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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