The Pluperfect Tense with 'Avoir'
French: AQA A Level, topic 11.8.1
Regular ER Verbs in the Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect tense translates as 'I had done something'. It's formed using the imperfect of 'avoir' and then a past participle. With 'avoir', the past participle only agrees if there's a direct object. Here's the example with 'parler':
J'avais parlé - I had spoken
Tu avais parlé - you had spoken
- 'Tu' means 'you' (singular).
Il/elle/on avait parlé - he/she had spoken
Nous avions parlé - we had spoken
Vous aviez parlé - you had spoken
- 'Vous' means:
- You (plural).
- You (singular, formal).
Ils/elles avaient parlé - they had spoken
Regular IR Verbs in the Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect tense translates as 'I had done something'. It's formed using the imperfect of 'avoir' and then a past participle. With 'avoir', the past participle only agrees if there's a direct object. Here's the example with 'finir':
J'avais fini - I had finished
Tu avais fini - you had finished
- 'Tu' means 'you' (singular).
Il/elle/on avait fini - he/she/one had finished
Nous avions fini - we had finished
Vous aviez fini - you had finished
- 'Vous' means:
- You (plural).
- You (singular, formal).
Ils/elles avaient fini - they had finished
Regular RE Verbs in the Pluperfect Tense
The pluperfect tense translates as 'I had done something'. It's formed using the imperfect of 'avoir' and then a past participle. With 'avoir', the past participle only agrees if there's a direct object. Here's the example with 'vendre':
J'avais vendu - I had sold
Tu avais vendu - you had sold
- 'Tu' means 'you' (singular).
Il/elle/on avait vendu - he/she/one had sold
Nous avions vendu - we had sold
Vous aviez vendu - you had sold
- 'Vous' means:
- You (plural).
- You (singular, formal).
Ils/elles avaient vendu - they had sold
Test yourself on The Pluperfect Tense with 'Avoir'
'Manger' (to eat) has a regular past participle.
How do you say 'we had eaten' in French?Which one of these is NOT the correct form of 'parler' in the pluperfect tense?
'Dormir' (to sleep) has a regular past participle. How do you say 'they had slept' in French?
Which one of the following is NOT a correct form of 'finir' in the pluperfect tense?
'Perdre' (to lose) has a regular past participle. How do you say 'we had lost' in French?