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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb iriser

Get the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) tense conjugation of iriser. Includes a FREE downloadable reference sheet (no email required). Alternatively if you have a lot of text to check then use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!

English translation: The English translation of the French verb iriser is “to iridescent.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ee-ree-zay.”

Language origin: The verb iriser comes from the French noun iris, meaning “iris” or “rainbow.” It is derived from the Latin word iris, which has the same meaning.

Usage in Plus-que-parfait tense: In everyday French, iriser is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense (pluperfect tense) to talk about an action that had been completed before another past action. It is often used in literature and descriptive writing to describe colors and light that change in appearance.

Examples:

  1. Je me souvenais de la belle robe qui irisait sous les rayons du soleil. (I remembered the beautiful dress that iridescent under the sun’s rays.)
  2. Elle avait passé des heures à observer les bulles qui irisaient dans le champagne. (She had spent hours watching the bubbles that iridescent in the champagne.)
  3. Les couleurs de l’aube irisaient le ciel lorsque nous sommes arrivés sur la plage. (The colors of the dawn iridescent the sky when we arrived at the beach.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais irisé J’avais irisé l’aquarelle. I had irised the watercolor.
tu tu avais irisé Tu avais irisé le cristal. You had irised the crystal.
il il avait irisé Il avait irisé la vitrine. He had irised the display case.
elle elle avait irisé Elle avait irisé le ciel. She had irised the sky.
on on avait irisé On avait irisé la peinture. One had irised the painting.
nous nous avions irisé Nous avions irisé la photographie. We had irised the photograph.
vous vous aviez irisé Vous aviez irisé la vaisselle. You had irised the dishes.
ils ils avaient irisé Ils avaient irisé le miroir. They had irised the mirror.
elles elles avaient irisé Elles avaient irisé la céramique. They had irised the ceramic.

Other Conjugations for Iriser.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb iriser
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Get a FREE Download Study Sheet of this Conjugation 🔥

Simply right click the image below, click “save image” and get your free reference for the iriser Plus-que-parfait tense conjugation!

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

Similar Posts