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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb illustrer

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The English translation of the French verb illustrer is “to illustrate.” The infinitive form of illustrer is pronounced “eel-oo-streh.”

The word “illustrer” comes from the Latin word “illustrare” meaning “to light up, make clear.” It entered the French language in the 12th century and has been used to refer to the act of providing visual representation or clarification ever since.

In everyday French, illustrer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another past action. Here are three examples of its usage in this tense with their English translations:

  1. J’avais illustré le livre avant qu’il ne soit publié. (I had illustrated the book before it was published.)

  2. Tu avais illustré tes propos avec des exemples concrets. (You had illustrated your points with concrete examples.)

  3. Ils avaient illustré leur exposé avec des images animées. (They had illustrated their presentation with animated images.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais illustré J’avais illustré l’article. I had illustrated the article.
tu tu avais illustré Tu avais illustré le livre. You had illustrated the book.
il il avait illustré Il avait illustré la couverture. He had illustrated the cover.
elle elle avait illustré Elle avait illustré la page. She had illustrated the page.
on on avait illustré On avait illustré le tableau. One had illustrated the painting.
nous nous avions illustré Nous avions illustré le poster. We had illustrated the poster.
vous vous aviez illustré Vous aviez illustré le graphique. You had illustrated the graph.
ils ils avaient illustré Ils avaient illustré le diagramme. They had illustrated the diagram.
elles elles avaient illustré Elles avaient illustré la brochure. They had illustrated the brochure.

Other Conjugations for Illustrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb illustrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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