Pluperfect Tense (Past Perfect)Â For Intermediate learners
What Is the Past Perfect (Le plus-que-parfait) in French?
The past perfect (le plus-que-parfait) is a French past tense used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past.It corresponds closely to the English past perfect: "had + past participle".
It is a compound tense, like the passé composé, and always refers to an earlier past action relative to another past action.
Look at the examples below:
J'avais déjà mangé quand il est arrivé.
I had already eaten when he arrived.
Elle avait terminé son travail avant midi.
She had finished her work before noon.
When to Use Plus-que-parfait
The plus-que-parfait is used for:
Actions Completed Before Another Past Action
Use the plus-que-parfait to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.
J'avais déjà mangé quand il est arrivé.
I had already eaten when he arrived.
Elle était partie avant que je ne téléphone.
She had left before I called.
They are often used with time expressions meaning "before":
avant (que)
dĂ©jĂ
jamais / encore
quand
Nous avions déjà vu ce film.
We had already seen this film.
Il n'avait jamais voyagé à l'étranger.
He had never traveled abroad.
Reporting Past Experiences or Events
The plus-que-parfait is used when telling a story or recounting events in the past, emphasizing what happened first.
Nous avions terminé nos devoirs avant le dßner.
We had finished our homework before dinner.
Ils avaient visité Paris avant de partir en Espagne.
They had visited Paris before leaving for Spain.
Expressing Regrets or "what had happened"
It can be used to express regret or hypothetical situations in the past.
Si j'avais su, je ne serais pas venu.
If I had known, I wouldn't have come.
Il aurait réussi s'il avait étudié davantage.
He would have succeeded if he had studied more.
To Show Cause and Effect in Past Storytelling
Often used with avant que, aprĂšs que, quand, dĂšs que:
AprÚs que nous avions terminé le projet, nous sommes partis en vacances.
After we had finished the project, we went on vacation.
How to Form Plus-que-parfait
The plus-que-parfait is a compound tense.
Auxiliary verb (avoir or ĂȘtre) in the imparfait
Past participle of the main verb
Structure:
subject + avoir / ĂȘtre (imparfait) + past participle
Auxiliaries in Imparfait
Here's a table of the conjugation of auxiliaries in imparfait:
Person | Avoir (imparfait) | Ătre (imparfait) |
|---|---|---|
j' | avais | Ă©tais |
tu | avais | Ă©tais |
il / elle / on | avait | Ă©tait |
nous | avions | Ă©tions |
vous | aviez | Ă©tiez |
ils / elles | avaient | Ă©taient |
J'avais fini mon travail.
I had finished my work.
Elle Ă©tait partie tĂŽt.
She had left early.
Nous avions compris la situation.
We had understood the situation.
Elles s'étaient préparées rapidement.
They had gotten ready quickly.
Choice of Auxiliary: avoir or ĂȘtre
Like the passĂ© composĂ©, most verbs use avoir, but motion verbs and reflexive verbs use ĂȘtre.
Most verbs â avoir
J'avais mangé une pomme.
I had eaten an apple.
Nous avions regardé un film.
We had watched a movie.
Motion and reflexive verbs â ĂȘtre
Elle était allée au marché.
She had gone to the market.
Ils s'étaient levés tÎt.
They had gotten up early.
Agreement Rules
Like the passĂ© composĂ©, when using ĂȘtre, the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject:
Subject | Example |
|---|---|
feminine singular | Elle était allée |
masculine plural | Ils étaient allés |
feminine plural | Elles étaient allées |
masculine singular | Il était allé |
With avoir, agreement only occurs if a direct object comes before the verb.
Elle a Ă©crit la lettre. (no agreement)
She wrote the letter.
La lettre qu'elle a Ă©crite. (agreement)
The letter that she wrote.
When a direct object pronoun (le, la, les) is placed before the verb, agreement is required with avoir.
J'avais vu les filles â Je les avais vues
I had seen the girls â I had seen them
Negation in Plus-que-parfait
Negation is formed around the auxiliary verb in the imparfait.
Elle Ă©tait partie. â Elle n'Ă©tait pas partie.
She had left. â She hadn't left.
Asking Questions in Plus-que-parfait
Questions are formed like other compound tenses, using inversion or est-ce que, with the auxiliary in imparfait.
Intonation (informal)
Tu avais fini tes devoirs avant le dĂźner ?
Had you finished your homework before dinner?
Est-ce que
Est-ce que tu avais fini tes devoirs avant le dĂźner ?
Had you finished your homework before dinner?
Inversion (formal)
Avais-tu fini tes devoirs avant le dĂźner ?
Had you finished your homework before dinner?
Plus-que-parfait vs Other Past Tenses
Tense | Function |
|---|---|
imparfait | background, description |
passé composé | main past action |
plus-que-parfait | earlier past action |
Il pleuvait quand je suis arrivé ; j'avais oublié mon parapluie.
It was raining when I arrived; I had forgotten my umbrella.
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