Le Plus-que-parfait (Leaving Cert French): Revision Notes
Le Plus-que-parfait
We use the plus-que-parfait to talk about an action that occurred before another action in the past.
This tense is usually used together with another past tense and establishes the order of events: the action expressed in the plus-que-parfait always occurred before the action expressed by the other past tenses.
- Passé composé: J'ai fini (I finished) → Pluperfect: J'avais fini (I had finished)
- Passé composé: Je suis parti(e) (I left) → Pluperfect: J'étais parti(e) (I had left)
- Passé composé: Je me suis réveillé(e) (I woke up) → Pluperfect: Je m'étais réveillé(e) (I had woken up)
Formation
The pluperfect tense is formed similarly to the passé composé, with two parts:
- The auxiliary verb-avoir or être in the imperfect tense (l'imparfait).
- A past participle.
1. The Auxiliary Verb
Avoir or être in the imperfect tense (l'imparfait).
Avoir (imparfait)
- J'avais
- Tu avais
- Il/Elle/On avait
- Nous avions
- Vous aviez
- Ils/Elles avaient
Être (imparfait)
- J'étais
- Tu étais
- Il/Elle/On était
- Nous étions
- Vous étiez
- Ils/Elles étaient
2. Verbs with Avoir: Past Participle
How to form a past participle: The way you form the past participle depends on the type of verb:
- For -er verbs (parler-to speak):
- Take off the er at the end of the verb.
- Add é.
- parler → parlé (spoken)
- For -ir verbs (finir -to finish):
- Take off the ir at the end of the verb.
- Add i.
- finir → fini (finished)
- For -re verbs (vendre_-_to sell):
- Take off the re at the end of the verb.
- Add u.
- vendre → vendu (sold)
Irregular verbs have unique past participles. They must be memorised:
| Verb | Past Participle |
|---|---|
| Avoir | eu |
| Être | été |
| Faire | fait |
| Dire | dit |
| Écrire | écrit |
| Lire | lu |
| Voir | vu |
| Savoir | su |
| Connaître | connu |
| Comprendre | compris |
| Apprendre | appris |
| Mettre | mis |
| Prendre | pris |
| Pouvoir | pu |
| Vouloir | voulu |
| Devoir | dû |
| Boire | bu |
| Courir | couru |
| Rire | ri |
| Ouvrir | ouvert |
| Offrir | offert |
3. Verbs with être: Past Participle
What verbs use être?
| Verb | Translation | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| aller | to go | allé |
| arriver | to arrive | arrivé |
| descendre | to descend / go downstairs | descendu |
| entrer | to enter | entré |
| monter | to climb | monté |
| mourir | to die | mort |
| naître | to be born | né |
| partir | to leave | parti |
| rester | to stay | resté |
| rentrer | to re-enter | rentré |
| retourner | to return | retourné |
| sortir | to go out | sorti |
| tomber | to fall | tombé |
| venir | to come | venu |
| devenir | to become | devenu |
| parvenir | to reach, achieve | parvenu |
| revenir | to come again, come back | revenu |
Just like in the passé composé, verbs that use être require the past participle to agree in gender and number with the subject.
Add the appropriate ending to the past participle:
- Masculine singular: No change (e.g., allé).
- Feminine singular: Add e (e.g., allée).
- Masculine plural: Add s (e.g., allés).
- Feminine plural: Add es (e.g., allées).
4. Putting it All Together
Example 1: Manger (to eat) – Uses Avoir
- Identify the auxiliary: The verb manger uses avoir.
- Imparfait of avoir: For "je" (I), the imparfait of avoir is j'avais.
- Form the past participle: The past participle of manger is mangé.
- Combine:
- Je + avais + mangé = J'avais mangé (I had eaten)
Example 2: Aller (to go) – Uses Être
- Identify the auxiliary: The verb aller uses être.
- Imparfait of être: For "elle" (she), the imparfait of être is elle était.
- Form the past participle: The past participle of aller is allé.
- Add agreement: Since the subject is feminine, add e to the past participle.
- Combine:
- Elle + était + allée = Elle était allée (She had gone)
Example 3: Finir (to finish) – Uses Avoir
- Identify the auxiliary: The verb finir uses avoir.
- Imparfait of avoir: For "nous" (we), the imparfait of avoir is nous avions.
- Form the past participle: The past participle of finir is fini.
- Combine:
- Nous + avions + fini = Nous avions fini (We had finished)
Example 4: Partir (to leave) – Uses Être
- Identify the auxiliary: The verb partir uses être.
- Imparfait of être: For "ils" (they, masculine or mixed group), the imparfait of être is ils étaient.
- Form the past participle: The past participle of partir is parti.
- Add agreement: Since the subject is plural, add s to the past participle.
- Combine:
- Ils + étaient + partis = Ils étaient partis (They had left)
Example 5: Se laver (to wash oneself) – Reflexive verb, Uses Être
- Identify the auxiliary: The reflexive verb se laver uses être.
- Imparfait of être: For "je" (I), the imparfait of être is j'étais.
- Form the past participle: The past participle of se laver is lavé.
- Add agreement: Since the subject is "je" and if the speaker is female, add e to the past participle.
- Combine:
- Je + m'étais + lavée = Je m'étais lavée (I had washed myself)
To form negatives in the plus-que-parfait:
- Place "ne" before the auxiliary verb (avoir or être in the imparfait).
- Place "pas" (or another negative word) after the auxiliary verb.
Positive: J'avais mangé (I had eaten)
Negative: Je n'avais pas mangé (I had not eaten)
Just wrap "ne... pas" around the conjugated auxiliary verb.