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

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb reclouer

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The English translation of the French verb reclouer is “to nail back.” The infinitive form is pronounced “ruh-kloo-ay.”

Reclouer comes from the combination of two words in Old French: “re” (again) and “clouer” (to nail), meaning to nail back or to re-nail.

In everyday French, reclouer is most often used in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to indicate an action that was completed before another past action.

Here are three simple examples of reclouer in the Plus-que-parfait tense, along with their English translations:

  1. Nous avions recloué les planches avant que la tempête n’arrive. (We had nailed back the planks before the storm arrived.)

  2. Tu avais recloué la porte avant de partir en vacances. (You had nailed back the door before leaving for vacation.)

  3. Ils avaient recloué les tuiles après la fuite d’eau. (They had nailed back the tiles after the water leak.)

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

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais recloué J’avais recloué la planche. I had nailed back the board.
tu tu avais recloué Tu avais recloué le clou. You had nailed back the nail.
il il avait recloué Il avait recloué la chaise. He had nailed back the chair.
elle elle avait recloué Elle avait recloué la marche. She had nailed back the step.
on on avait recloué On avait recloué la planche. One had nailed back the board.
nous nous avions recloué Nous avions recloué le morceau. We had nailed back the piece.
vous vous aviez recloué Vous aviez recloué la porte. You had nailed back the door.
ils ils avaient recloué Ils avaient recloué la fenêtre. They had nailed back the window.
elles elles avaient recloué Elles avaient recloué le meuble. They had nailed back the piece of furniture.

Other Conjugations for Reclouer.

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

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb reclouer
   

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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