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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb greffer

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The English translation of the French verb greffer is “to graft,” as in the horticultural practice of joining a shoot or twig onto a plant in order to create a new branch or variety. The infinitive form of greffer is pronounced “greh-feh.”

The word greffer comes from the Latin word “graphium,” meaning “stylus,” and was first used in the 13th century in French to refer to the act of engraving or carving. Eventually, it took on the meaning of grafting in horticulture.

In everyday French, greffer is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which expresses an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “avoir” in the imparfait tense followed by the past participle of greffer, which is “greffé.”

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

  1. J’avais greffé le rosier avant qu’il ne commence à fleurir. (I had grafted the rosebush before it started blooming.)
  2. Tu avais greffé un pommier sur un cerisier pour en créer une nouvelle variété. (You had grafted an apple tree onto a cherry tree to create a new variety.)
  3. Ils avaient greffé plusieurs boutures sur un même plant pour obtenir plus de fruits. (They had grafted several cuttings onto one plant to get more fruits.)

English translations:

  1. I had grafted the rosebush before it started blooming.
  2. You had grafted an apple tree onto a cherry tree to create a new variety.
  3. They had grafted several cuttings onto one plant to get more fruits.

In summary, greffer is a verb meaning “to graft,” and it is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense in everyday French. It comes from the Latin word for “stylus” and was originally used to refer to engraving before taking on the meaning of horticultural grafting.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais greffé J’avais greffé un arbre fruitier. I had grafted a fruit tree.
tu tu avais greffé Tu avais greffé une fleur. You had grafted a flower.
il il avait greffé Il avait greffé une branche. He had grafted a branch.
elle elle avait greffé Elle avait greffé une plante. She had grafted a plant.
on on avait greffé On avait greffé un arbuste. One had grafted a bush.
nous nous avions greffé Nous avions greffé un rosier. We had grafted a rose bush.
vous vous aviez greffé Vous aviez greffé un arbuste. You had grafted a bush.
ils ils avaient greffé Ils avaient greffé un arbre. They had grafted a tree.
elles elles avaient greffé Elles avaient greffé une fleur. They had grafted a flower.

Other Conjugations for Greffer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb greffer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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