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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb initialer

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The English translation of the French verb initialer is “to initial.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ee-nee-syah-luh-ray.”

The word initialer comes from the French word “initial,” which is derived from the Latin word “initium” meaning “beginning” or “origin.” It is most often used in everyday French as a verb meaning “to put one’s initials on something” or “to sign with initials.”

Examples of initialer in the Plus-que-parfait tense (past perfect):

  1. J’avais initialed tous les documents avant de les envoyer. (I had initialed all the documents before sending them.)
  2. Tu avais initialed le contrat sans même le lire. (You had initialed the contract without even reading it.)
  3. Il avait initialed toutes les pages du livre en guise d’autographe. (He had initialed all the pages of the book as an autograph.)

English translations:

  1. I had initialed all the documents before sending them.
  2. You had initialed the contract without even reading it.
  3. He had initialed all the pages of the book as an autograph.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais initialé J’avais initialé le document. I had initialized the document.
tu tu avais initialé Tu avais initialé le logiciel. You had initialized the software.
il il avait initialé Il avait initialé le projet. He had initialized the project.
elle elle avait initialé Elle avait initialé la présentation. She had initialized the presentation.
on on avait initialé On avait initialé le système. One had initialized the system.
nous nous avions initialé Nous avions initialé l’application. We had initialized the application.
vous vous aviez initialé Vous aviez initialé le dossier. You had initialized the folder.
ils ils avaient initialé Ils avaient initialé le programme. They had initialized the program.
elles elles avaient initialé Elles avaient initialé la base de données. They had initialized the database.

Other Conjugations for Initialer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb initialer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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