
Take the fastest path to fluent French
Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) in French is the direct equivalent of the pluperfect in English. It could be described as "the past of the past":
After I had eaten my dinner, I went for a walk.
Of course, English speakers are likely to make contractions:
After I'd eaten my dinner, I went for a walk.
Learn how to conjugate regular -er, -ir and -dre verbs in Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) in French
J'avais mangé tous les biscuits, et il n'en restait aucun pour les invités !I had eaten all the biscuits, and there were none left for the guests!
Si nous l'avions choisi, nous l'aurions regretté.If we'd chosen him, we would have regretted it.
Après qu'elle lui avait avoué ce qu'elle ressentait, elle avait rougi.After she'd confessed to him how she felt, she'd blushed.
Vous aviez aimé ce concert.You had liked that concert.
Aviez-vous répondu à sa lettre à l'époque ?Had you answered her letter at the time?
Ils avaient tous entendu ce bruit.They had all heard this noise.
Le Plus-que-Parfait (Indicatif) follows this construction, which is similar to the pluperfect in English (had +-ed):
Reminder:
For -ER verbs, you form the past participle by replacing the -er ending with -é.
For -ER verbs, you form the past participle by replacing the -er ending with -é.
For -IR verbs, you form the past participle by replacing the -ir ending with -i.
For -RE verbs, you form the past participle by replacing the -dre ending with -du.
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
