Knowledge Builders

what is french plus que parfait

by Margaretta Kovacek Jr. Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

The term “plus-que-parfait” suggests “more in the past than the perfect.” The tense is used to indicate actions which took place before another action in the past, which is usually (though not always) described in the perfect (passé composé).Apr 5, 2019

What is the plus-que-parfait in French?

The plus-que-parfait is used to talk about actions/events that took place before a specific point in the past. The plus-que-parfait is made up of an auxiliary (être or avoir) conjugated in the imparfait and the past participle of a verb.

How do you conjugate le plus que parfait in French?

Conjugating the French le plus-que-parfait (the past perfect or pluperfect) requires knowing when to use avoir, être, or a pronominal, as the table demonstrates for the verbs aimer (to love), devenir (to become), and lavar (to wash). Aimer (auxiliary verb is avoir) j'. avais aimé. nous.

What is the pluperfect tense in French?

The pluperfect tense ( plus-que-parfait or past perfect is used to indicate actions that occurred prior to other past actions. It would equate to “had happened” in English. For verbs conjugated avoir in the passé composé, it’s formed by combining avoir in the imparfait with the past participle.

What is the French past perfect?

The French past perfect, or pluperfect—known in French as le plus-que-parfait—is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before another action in the past.

image

What is plus-que-parfait in French examples?

'Le Plus-Que-Parfait'French PluperfectEnglish TranslationJ'ai fait du shopping ce matin. J'avais déjà fait la lessive.I went shopping this morning. I had already done the laundry.J'étais déjà sorti (quand tu as téléphoné).I had already left (when you called).2 more rows•Jan 28, 2019

Is plus-que-parfait used in spoken French?

Just like in English, the plus que parfait is used in French when expressing hypothetical situations.

Does plus-que-parfait agree in gender?

The plus-que-parfait is made up of an auxiliary (être or avoir) conjugated in the imparfait and the past participle of a verb. When using the auxiliary être, the past participle always agrees in gender and number with the subject of the sentence.

Where can I use plus-que-parfait?

The plus-que-parfait is used when the speaker needs to position one action with respect to another. Frequently its use will be signaled by adverbs (such as déjà) which can heighten the sense of opposition between actions: Quand je suis rentré, j'avais déjà appris la mauvaise nouvelle.

How do I learn plus-que-parfait?

1:256:00French pluperfect - Past Perfect - Plus-que-parfait - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd the verb to be jet a q8 a la da la da omelette a newsie Gian Luigi is ETA L is ETA.MoreAnd the verb to be jet a q8 a la da la da omelette a newsie Gian Luigi is ETA L is ETA.

What is the passé Anterieur?

The passé antérieur is used after conjunctions of time — aussitôt que and dès que (as soon as), quand and lorsque (when), and après que (after) — to show that an action was completed before another action (expressed by the passé simple) took place.

What is the past tense of faire?

faitThe passé composé of the verb faire is conjugated using the auxiliary verb avoir followed by the past participle of faire – fait.

How do I choose between être and Avoir?

DR MRS VANDERTRAMP is an acronym to help learners remember which verbs take être as their auxiliary. These are also sometimes called the “verbs of the house” (les verbes de la maison). In short, it's said that these verbs must use être when there is no direct object and avoir when there is a direct object.

A Past Action That Preceded Another Past Action

"Il n'avait pas mangé (avant de faire ses devoirs)." He hadn't eaten (before doing his homework). Daniel Grill / Getty Images

Expressing Hypotheticals

The pluperfect is also used in si clauses to express a hypothetical situation in the past contrary to what actually happened. Si clauses or conditionals produce conditional sentences, with one clause stating a condition or possibility and a second clause naming a result produced by that condition.

Other Plus-Que-Parfait Information

The French past perfect is a compound conjugation, which means it has two parts:

French Past Perfect Conjugations

Conjugating the French le plus-que-parfait (the past perfect or pluperfect) requires knowing when to use avoir , être, or a pronominal, as the table demonstrates for the verbs aimer (to love), devenir (to become), and lavar (to wash).

The Use of Plus-Que-Parfait

Two couples are having Sunday lunch together in a restaurant and talk about their children. One of the women says:

The Conjugation of Plus-Que-Parfait

If we observe the examples j'avais travaillé and elle avait étudié, we notice that the plus-que-parfait is made up of two elements: an auxiliary (in both examples, we have the auxiliary avoir: avais and avait) and a past participle ( travaillé and étudié ).

Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait)

The plus-que-parfait is a compound tense formed with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary ( avoir or être, see Auxiliaries) and the past participle:

Formation

The plus-que-parfait is a compound tense formed with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary ( avoir or être, see Auxiliaries) and the past participle:

Example Sentences on When to use the Plus-Que-Parfait

The final section of this lesson on when to use the plus-que-parfait is about seeing the plus-que-parfait in action.

How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson

Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!

image

1.Le plus-que-parfait: the pluperfect in French - Lingolia

Url:https://francais.lingolia.com/en/grammar/tenses/le-plus-que-parfait

18 hours ago  · Updated on January 28, 2019. The French past perfect, or pluperfect—known in French as le plus-que-parfait —is used to indicate an action in the past that occurred before …

2.The French Past Perfect (Pluperfect): 'Le Plus-Que-Parfait' …

Url:https://www.thoughtco.com/french-past-perfect-1368900

13 hours ago Verbs using avoir in the plus-que-parfait use the regular past participle, but there is an acceptation: if there is a direct object coming before the verb. Hier, la voiture que j'avais …

3.Plus-Que-Parfait in French | Study.com

Url:https://study.com/academy/lesson/plus-que-parfait-in-french.html

6 hours ago  · The pluperfect tense ( plus-que-parfait or past perfect is used to indicate actions that occurred prior to other past actions. It would equate to “had happened” in English. For …

4.The Plus‐Que‐Parfait - CliffsNotes

Url:https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/french/french-ii/french-ii-past-tenses/the-plus-que-parfait

14 hours ago The plus‐que‐parfait (the pluperfect) indicates that an action had taken place and had been completed before another past action took place. The plus‐que‐parfait is the compound form …

5.Pluperfect – French and Francophone Studies – Carleton …

Url:https://www.carleton.edu/french/resources/language-tools/grammar/pluperfect/

16 hours ago  · The conjugation of the Plus‐que‐parfait is a compound tense and, as with the passé composé, it calls for the same 2 auxiliary verbs avoir or être conjugated in the imparfait tense + …

6.When to use the Plus-Que-Parfait: the Ultimate Guide in …

Url:https://languageatlas.com/french-b2/when-to-use-the-plus-que-parfait/

20 hours ago  · Back to INDEX. Pluperfect (plus-que-parfait) Formation. The plus-que-parfait is a compound tense formed with the imperfect tense of the auxiliary (avoir or être, see Auxiliaries) …

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9