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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb grisailler

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The English translation of the French verb grisailler is “to become grey/gray” or “to turn grey/gray”. It is pronounced as “gree-zai-yay” in the infinitive form.

The verb grisailler comes from the French word “grisaille” which means “grey/gray” and is derived from the Latin word “grisaceus”. In everyday French, the verb grisailler is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense.

Here are three simple examples of its usage in the plus-que-parfait tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais grisaillé mes cheveux avant le mariage. (I had turned my hair grey before the wedding.)
  2. Tu avais grisaillé le ciel avec tes peintures. (You had greyed the sky with your paintings.)
  3. Elle avait grisaillé ses murs pour donner un aspect plus moderne à sa maison. (She had made her walls grey to give a more modern look to her house.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais grisaillé J’avais grisaillé toute la journée. I had been gray all day.
tu tu avais grisaillé Tu avais grisaillé la nuit dernière. You had been gray last night.
il il avait grisaillé Il avait grisaillé pendant des heures. He had been gray for hours.
elle elle avait grisaillé Elle avait grisaillé toute la semaine. She had been gray all week.
on on avait grisaillé On avait grisaillé tout l’hiver. One had been gray all winter.
nous nous avions grisaillé Nous avions grisaillé pendant des mois. We had been gray for months.
vous vous aviez grisaillé Vous aviez grisaillé tout l’été. You had been gray all summer.
ils ils avaient grisaillé Ils avaient grisaillé toute l’année. They had been gray all year.
elles elles avaient grisaillé Elles avaient grisaillé toute la journée. They had been gray all day.

Other Conjugations for Grisailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb grisailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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