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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb incliner

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The English translation of the French verb incliner is “to incline” or “to lean.” The infinitive form of incliner is pronounced “an-klee-nay.”

The word “incliner” comes from the Latin word “inclīnāre” which means “to bend” or “to lean.” In everyday French, incliner can have both a literal and figurative meaning. Literally, it can refer to physically leaning or bending something. Figuratively, it can mean to have a tendency towards something or to be inclined to do something.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, incliner is used to express an action that had already been completed in the past. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” followed by the past participle of incliner.

Examples:

  1. J’avais incliné ma tête pour mieux entendre ce qu’il disait. (I had inclined my head to better hear what he was saying.)
  2. Elle était déjà inclinée vers la science depuis son enfance. (She had been inclined towards science since her childhood.)
  3. Nous avions incliné nos corps en signe de respect devant la tombe. (We had inclined our bodies as a sign of respect in front of the grave.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais incliné J’avais incliné ma tête. I had tilted my head.
tu tu avais incliné Tu avais incliné la bouteille. You had tilted the bottle.
il il avait incliné Il avait incliné le miroir. He had tilted the mirror.
elle elle avait incliné Elle avait incliné son corps. She had tilted her body.
on on avait incliné On avait incliné la table. One had tilted the table.
nous nous avions incliné Nous avions incliné le vase. We had tilted the vase.
vous vous aviez incliné Vous aviez incliné le fauteuil. You had tilted the armchair.
ils ils avaient incliné Ils avaient incliné le mât. They had tilted the mast.
elles elles avaient incliné Elles avaient incliné la sculpture. They had tilted the sculpture.

Other Conjugations for Incliner.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb incliner
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Incliner – 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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