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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb préchauffer

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The English translation of the French verb “préchauffer” is “to preheat.” It is pronounced as “pray-show-fay.”

The language origin of “préchauffer” comes from the combination of the prefix “pré-” (meaning “before”) and the verb “chauffer” (meaning “to heat”). It is most often used in everyday French to describe the action of heating something in preparation for cooking or use.

In the Plus-que-parfait tense, “préchauffer” is conjugated as “j’avais préchauffé” for the first person singular, “tu avais préchauffé” for the second person singular, “il/elle avait préchauffé” for the third person singular, “nous avions préchauffé” for the first person plural, “vous aviez préchauffé” for the second person plural, and “ils/elles avaient préchauffé” for the third person plural.

Three simple examples of using “préchauffer” in the Plus-que-parfait tense are:

  1. J’avais préchauffé le four avant de mettre le gâteau à cuire. (I had preheated the oven before putting the cake in to bake.)

  2. Tu avais préchauffé les assiettes pour garder le repas chaud. (You had preheated the plates to keep the meal warm.)

  3. Ils avaient préchauffé leur voiture avant de partir en voyage. (They had preheated their car before leaving on their trip.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais préchauffé J’avais préchauffé le four. I had preheated the oven.
tu tu avais préchauffé Tu avais préchauffé le four à 200 degrés. You had preheated the oven to 200 degrees.
il il avait préchauffé Il avait préchauffé le four avant de faire cuire le gâteau. He had preheated the oven before baking the cake.
elle elle avait préchauffé Elle avait préchauffé le four avant de mettre les biscuits. She had preheated the oven before putting in the cookies.
on on avait préchauffé On avait préchauffé le four avant de faire cuire le poulet. One had preheated the oven before cooking the chicken.
nous nous avions préchauffé Nous avions préchauffé le four avant de mettre la tarte. We had preheated the oven before putting in the pie.
vous vous aviez préchauffé Vous aviez préchauffé le four avant de faire cuire le pain. You had preheated the oven before baking the bread.
ils ils avaient préchauffé Ils avaient préchauffé le four avant de faire cuire les légumes. They had preheated the oven before cooking the vegetables.
elles elles avaient préchauffé Elles avaient préchauffé le four avant de faire cuire les croissants. They had preheated the oven before baking the croissants.

Other Conjugations for Préchauffer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préchauffer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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