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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb quarrer

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The English translation of the French verb quarrer is “to square” or “to make square.” It is pronounced as “kah-reh” in the infinitive form.

Quarrer comes from the Old French word “carre” meaning “square.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait (pluperfect) tense, which is used to talk about an action that happened before another action in the past. It is formed by using the imperfect tense of the auxiliary verb “avoir” or “être” and adding the past participle of the main verb.

Examples of quarrer in the Plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais quarré le gâteau avant que les invités arrivent.
    (I had squared the cake before the guests arrived.)
  2. Elle s’était quarrée pour le mariage depuis des mois avant de trouver sa robe de rêve.
    (She had been squaring away for the wedding for months before finding her dream dress.)
  3. Nous avions quarré nos valises avant de partir en vacances.
    (We had squared our suitcases before leaving on vacation.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais quarré J’avais quarré la table. I had squared the table.
tu tu avais quarré Tu avais quarré le carré. You had squared the square.
il il avait quarré Il avait quarré la pièce. He had squared the room.
elle elle avait quarré Elle avait quarré la surface. She had squared the surface.
on on avait quarré On avait quarré la figure. One had squared the figure.
nous nous avions quarré Nous avions quarré le terrain. We had squared the field.
vous vous aviez quarré Vous aviez quarré le jardin. You had squared the garden.
ils ils avaient quarré Ils avaient quarré le plateau. They had squared the plateau.
elles elles avaient quarré Elles avaient quarré la carte. They had squared the card.

Other Conjugations for Quarrer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb quarrer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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