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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb incarner

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The English translation of the French verb incarner is “to embody” or “to personify.” It is pronounced as “an-kar-nay.”

The word incarner comes from the Latin word “incarnare,” meaning “to make flesh.” It entered the French language in the 14th century and is derived from the Latin phrase “in carne,” which means “in the flesh.”

In everyday French, incarner is most often used in the plus-que-parfait tense to indicate an action that was completed before another past action. For example:

  1. J’avais incarné le personnage principal dans la pièce de théâtre avant de partir pour New York. (I had embodied the main character in the play before leaving for New York.)

  2. Elle avait incarné l’esprit de Noël dans ses décorations et ses traditions. (She had personified the spirit of Christmas in her decorations and traditions.)

  3. Ils avaient incarné l’essence même de l’amitié dans leur longue relation. (They had embodied the very essence of friendship in their long-lasting relationship.)

English translations:

  1. I had embodied
  2. She had personified
  3. They had embodied

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais incarné J’avais incarné le personnage. I had embodied the character.
tu tu avais incarné Tu avais incarné la divinité. You had embodied the deity.
il il avait incarné Il avait incarné le héros. He had embodied the hero.
elle elle avait incarné Elle avait incarné la princesse. She had embodied the princess.
on on avait incarné On avait incarné l’idéal. One had embodied the ideal.
nous nous avions incarné Nous avions incarné le rôle. We had embodied the role.
vous vous aviez incarné Vous aviez incarné le personnage. You had embodied the character.
ils ils avaient incarné Ils avaient incarné le protagoniste. They had embodied the protagonist.
elles elles avaient incarné Elles avaient incarné la figure. They had embodied the figure.

Other Conjugations for Incarner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb incarner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Incarner – 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.

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