Le Plus-que-parfait (The Pluperfect)

Le plus-que-parfait is a past tense in French that corresponds to the past perfect (or pluperfect) in English. It is used to talk about an action that occurred before another action in the past. This tense is particularly useful in storytelling to provide background information about situations that took place prior to the main action of the story.

When to Use Le Plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait is used in the following situations:

1. To express an action that happened before another past action: "Quand je suis arrivé à la gare, le train était déjà parti." (When I arrived at the station, the train had already left.)
2. To describe the context or previous situation in a narrative: "Elle avait beaucoup travaillé avant de pouvoir jouer le morceau parfaitement." (She had worked hard before she could play the piece perfectly.)
3. To express a regret or hypothesis about the past: "Si j'avais étudié plus, j'aurais réussi l'examen." (If I had studied more, I would have passed the exam.)

How to Form Le Plus-que-parfait

The plus-que-parfait is formed using the auxiliary verb "avoir" or "être" in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here's the structure:

Choosing the Auxiliary Verb

Most verbs use "avoir" as the auxiliary. However, some verbs use "être":

1. Verbs of movement: aller (to go), venir (to come), arriver (to arrive), partir (to leave), entrer (to enter), sortir (to exit), monter (to go up), descendre (to go down), naître (to be born), mourir (to die), etc. Example: "J'étais allé au cinéma." (I had gone to the cinema.)
2. Pronominal verbs: Example: "Elle s'était levée tôt ce matin-là." (She had gotten up early that morning.)

Agreement of the Past Participle

1. With the auxiliary "être", the past participle agrees in gender and number with the subject: "Elles étaient parties en vacances." (They feminine had gone on vacation.)
2. With the auxiliary "avoir", the past participle agrees with the direct object only if it comes before the verb: "Les livres que j'avais achetés étaient intéressants." (The books that I had bought were interesting.)
3. For pronominal verbs, the agreement is generally made with the subject, except if the verb has a direct object: "Ils s'étaient lavés." (They had washed themselves.) "Ils s'étaient lavé les mains." (They had washed their hands.)

Quiz

Complete the following sentences using le plus-que-parfait: