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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb matricer

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The English translation of the French verb matricer is “to stencil” or “to matrix.” It is pronounced as “ma-tree-say” in the infinitive form.

The word matricer comes from the French noun “matrice” meaning “matrix” and the suffix “-er” which is used to form verbs in French. Matricer is most commonly used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to talk about actions that happened before another past action.

Here are three examples of how matricer is used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais matricé le mot “bienvenue” sur la porte avant la fête. (I had stenciled the word “welcome” on the door before the party.)
  2. Avant de déménager, j’avais matricé mon nom sur toutes mes affaires. (Before moving, I had stenciled my name on all my belongings.)
  3. Elle avait matricé un dessin de fleurs sur le mur de sa chambre. (She had stenciled a flower design on the wall of her room.)

In all of these examples, the action of stenciling (matricer) happened before another past action, indicated by the use of the Plus-que-parfait tense. The word matricer can also be used in other tenses, such as the present tense (matrice) or future tense (matricerai), but it is most commonly used in the past tense.

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais matricé J’avais matricé le document. I had matrixed the document.
tu tu avais matricé Tu avais matricé le programme. You had matrixed the program.
il il avait matricé Il avait matricé le projet. He had matrixed the project.
elle elle avait matricé Elle avait matricé le rapport. She had matrixed the report.
on on avait matricé On avait matricé la présentation. One had matrixed the presentation.
nous nous avions matricé Nous avions matricé le schéma. We had matrixed the diagram.
vous vous aviez matricé Vous aviez matricé le tableau. You had matrixed the table.
ils ils avaient matricé Ils avaient matricé le dossier. They had matrixed the file.
elles elles avaient matricé Elles avaient matricé la liste. They had matrixed the list.

Other Conjugations for Matricer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb matricer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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