le plus-que-parfait

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 House of être applies).

Plus-que-parfait = auxiliary in the imparfait + past participle of verb

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).

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.

Contrast the plus-que-parfait in this sentence with the examples above:

Remember that the opposite of déjà is the negative expression pas encore, just as 'already' is replaced by 'yet' in English.

In French and in English alike, the plus-que-parfait is also used to express wishes about the past, as in this example:

The plus-que-parfait is also commonly used in si clauses followed by the past conditional. For example: