Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect / Past Perfect)
The plus-que-parfait is a past tense used to describe actions that had been completed before another action or point in the past. It is often used to provide context or background in a narrative. It corresponds to the English Past Perfect.
Mood:
The indicative mood is used to express facts and completed actions.
The plus-que-parfait allows speakers to narrate events that occurred prior to another past event with clarity.
- Indicative mood = certainty, facts, reality
Usage:
- To express actions that had occurred before another action in the past:
Il avait déjà mangé avant de partir.
(He had already eaten before leaving.) - To indicate the background or context of a past action:
Quand je suis arrivé, elle avait déjà fini.
(When I arrived, she had already finished.) - To reflect on past experiences or states:
J'avais vécu à Paris.
(I had lived in Paris.)
Formation:
The plus-que-parfait is formed using the auxiliary verbs avoir (to have) or être (to be) in the imparfait, followed by the past participle of the main verb.
Using avoir:
- Most verbs use avoir as the auxiliary.
Using être:
- Some verbs, especially verbs of motion and reflexive verbs, use être as the auxiliary.
- The past participle must agree in gender and number with the subject when using être.
Conjugation:
| Person | Avoir (to have) – Example: manger (to eat) | Être (to be) – Example: aller (to go) |
|---|---|---|
| Je | j'avais mangé – I had eaten | j'étais allé(e) – I had gone |
| Tu | tu avais mangé – You had eaten | tu étais allé(e) – You had gone |
| Il/Elle/On | il avait mangé – He had eaten | il/elle/on était allé(e) – He/She had gone |
| Nous | nous avions mangé – We had eaten | nous étions allé(e)s – We had gone |
| Vous | vous aviez mangé – You had eaten | vous étiez allé(e)(s) – You had gone |
| Ils/Elles | ils avaient mangé – They had eaten | ils/elles étaient allé(e)s – They had gone |
Irregular Past Participles:
Some verbs have irregular past participles:
- être – été (been)
- avoir – eu (had)
- faire – fait (done/made)
- prendre – pris (taken)
- voir – vu (seen)
- venir – venu (come)
- mettre – mis (put)
- dire – dit (said)
- écrire – écrit (written)
Common Time Expressions:
- avant – before
- quand – when
- déjà – already
- parce que – because
- après que – after
Examples:
- Elle avait étudié avant l'examen.
(She had studied before the exam.) - Ils étaient partis avant que je n'arrive.
(They had left before I arrived.) - J'avais déjà vu ce film.
(I had already seen this movie.)
Related Note – Passé antérieur:
The passé antérieur is the literary equivalent of the plus-que-parfait**, used mainly in formal or historical writing.
It is formed with the passé simple of the auxiliary verb avoir or être + past participle:
- Dès qu’il eut terminé son discours, la foule applaudit.
(As soon as he had finished his speech, the crowd applauded.)
In modern spoken French, the plus-que-parfait replaces the passé antérieur.
