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formation
The pluperfect (le plus-que-parfait) is formed with the auxiliary in the imparfait followed by the past participle of the verb.
The choice of auxiliary, être or avoir, is the same as for the passé composé (the Alamo of être applies).
Plus-que-parfait = auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle of verb
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| manger 'to eat' |
| j'avais mangé, I had eaten |
nous avions mangé, we had eaten |
| tu avais mangé, you had eaten |
vous aviez mangé, you had eaten |
| il, elle / on avait mangé, he, she (it) / one had eaten |
ils / elles avaient mangé, they had eaten |
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| aller 'to go' |
| j'étais allé(e), I had gone |
nous étions allé(e)s, we had gone |
| tu étais allé(e), you had gone |
vous étiez allé(e)(s), you had gone |
| il, elle / on était allé(e), he, she (it) / one had gone |
ils / elles étaient allé(e)s, they had gone |
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The negation is formed in the usual manner by placing ne ... pas around the conjugated verb, which in this case is the auxiliary:
Je n'avais pas mangé (I had not eaten), Je n'étais pas allé (I had not gone), etc.
uses
In past narration, the plus-que-parfait is used to express an action which precedes another past action or moment.
In other words, the action in the plus-que-parfait is prior to another past action or moment.
In English the plus-que-parfait is indicated by had + past participle.
In affirmative sentences in French, it is often, but not always, accompanied by the adverb déjà (already).
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| A l'âge de sept ans, Tex avait déjà rédigé dix poèmes. |
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At the age of seven, Tex had already composed ten poems. |
| Quelques années plus tard, il avait abandonné tout espoir de gloire littéraire. Mais il a changé d'avis quand il a lu les poèmes à Tammy. |
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A few years later, he had abandoned all hope of literary fame. But he changed his mind when he read the poems to Tammy. |
| Elle a adoré les poèmes innocents que Tex avait écrits pendant sa jeunesse. |
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She adored the innocent poems that Tex had written during his youth. |
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Not all instances of had + past participle in English are translated into plus-que-parfait in French.
For example, in French depuis is usually used with the imperfect (not the pluperfect) and 'had just done something' is generally translated by venir de in the imparfait.
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| Le public littéraire attendait depuis des années la nouvelle poésie de Tex quand il a enfin retrouvé son inspiration. |
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The literary public had been waiting for years for new poetry from Tex when at last he found his inspiration again. |
| En fait, Tex venait de commencer un nouveau poème quand son éditeur a téléphoné. |
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In fact, Tex had just started a new poem when his editor called. |
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Contrast the plus-que-parfait in this sentence with the examples above:
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| Tex avait (déjà) commencé son poème quand son éditeur a téléphoné. |
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Tex had begun his poem when his publisher called. |
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Remember that the opposite of déjà is the negative expression pas encore,
just as 'already' is replaced by 'yet' in English.
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| Tex n'avait pas (encore) fini son poème quand son éditeur a téléphoné. |
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Tex had not (yet) finished his poem when his editor called. |
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In French and in English alike, the plus-que-parfait is also used to express wishes about the past, as in this example:
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| Editeur: Si seulement tu avais fini ton nouveau poème! |
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Editor: If only you had finished your new poem! (but you haven't) |
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The plus-que-parfait is also commonly used in si clauses followed by the past conditional. For example:
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| Tex à son éditeur: Imbécile! Si vous ne m'aviez pas interrompu, j'aurais pu finir mon nouveau poème. A cause de vous, je sens que je perds à nouveau mon inspiration. |
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Tex to his editor: Imbecile! If you had not interrupted me, I would have been able to finish my new poem. Because of you, I'm losing my inspiration again. |
| Editeur: Mon Dieu, si j'avais su combien les artistes étaient difficiles, je serais devenu comptable! |
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Editor: My God. If I had known how difficult artists were, I'd have become an accountant! |
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