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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb massacrer

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The English translation of the French verb massacrer is “to massacre” or “to slaughter.” The infinitive form is pronounced “mah-sah-kreh.”

The word “massacrer” comes from the Old French term “massacre,” which originated from the Latin word “maceria” meaning “slaughter.” It is most often used in everyday French to describe a brutal and indiscriminate killing or destruction of a large number of people or animals.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “massacrer” is used to describe an action that had been completed in the past before another action took place. Here are three examples:

  1. Nous avions massacr é tous les poulets avant de les mettre à la rôtisserie. (We had massacred all the chickens before putting them on the rotisserie.)

  2. Tu avais massacr é toute l’herbe dans le jardin avant de la tondre. (You had massacred all the grass in the garden before mowing it.)

  3. Ils avaient massacr é des milliers d’innocents avant d’être arrêtés par la police. (They had massacred thousands of innocents before being arrested by the police.)

In these examples, we can see that the action of massacring had been completed before another action (putting the chickens on the rotisserie, mowing the lawn, and being arrested) took place. The English translations of these sentences also use the past perfect tense to convey the same meaning.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais massacré J’avais massacré le repas. I had massacred the meal.
tu tu avais massacré Tu avais massacré le travail. You had massacred the work.
il il avait massacré Il avait massacré l’opposition. He had massacred the opposition.
elle elle avait massacré Elle avait massacré l’entraînement. She had massacred the training.
on on avait massacré On avait massacré le concert. One had massacred the concert.
nous nous avions massacré Nous avions massacré la tâche. We had massacred the task.
vous vous aviez massacré Vous aviez massacré la présentation. You had massacred the presentation.
ils ils avaient massacré Ils avaient massacré l’ennemi. They had massacred the enemy.
elles elles avaient massacré Elles avaient massacré la réunion. They had massacred the meeting.

Other Conjugations for Massacrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb massacrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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