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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb intailler

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The English translation of the French verb intailler is “to notch” or “to carve.” It is pronounced “ahn-tay-ee-ay.”

Intailler comes from the Old French word “entailer,” which comes from the Latin word “intaliare,” meaning “to cut into.” In everyday French, intailler is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English.

Examples of intailler in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais intaillé mon nom sur l’arbre quand j’étais petit. (I had carved my name on the tree when I was little.)

  2. Elle avait intaillé une croix sur son cahier de notes pour se rappeler de réviser pour l’examen. (She had notched a cross on her notebook to remind herself to study for the exam.)

  3. Nous avions intaillé le bois pour en faire une sculpture. (We had carved the wood to make a sculpture.)

In these examples, intailler is used to indicate an action that was completed in the past before another action or event. It is often used to talk about memories or past experiences.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais intaillé J’avais intaillé le bois. I had notched the wood.
tu tu avais intaillé Tu avais intaillé la pierre. You had notched the stone.
il il avait intaillé Il avait intaillé l’armure. He had notched the armor.
elle elle avait intaillé Elle avait intaillé la bague. She had notched the ring.
on on avait intaillé On avait intaillé la lame. One had notched the blade.
nous nous avions intaillé Nous avions intaillé la porte. We had notched the door.
vous vous aviez intaillé Vous aviez intaillé la clé. You had notched the key.
ils ils avaient intaillé Ils avaient intaillé l’outil. They had notched the tool.
elles elles avaient intaillé Elles avaient intaillé la flèche. They had notched the arrow.

Other Conjugations for Intailler.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb intailler
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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