Pluperfect

Overview

[subject] [avoir or être in the imperfect tense] [past participle]

This corresponds to the English “subject had verb”, where être is only used for those verbs that conjugate with être in the passé composé. It is used to describe a past action that occurred before a second past action that is in the passé composé or imparfait tense.

Conjugation

prendre (to take):

• j’avais pris (I had taken)
• tu avais pris (you had taken)
• il/elle avait pris (he/she had taken)
• nous avions pris (we had taken)
• vous aviez pris (you had taken)
• ils/elles avaient pris (they had taken)

tomber (to fall):

• j’étais tombé(e) (I had fallen)
• tu étais tombé(e) (you had fallen)
• il/elle était tombé/tombée (he/she had fallen)
• nous étions tombé(e)s (we had fallen)
• vous étiez tombé(e)(s) (you had fallen)
• ils/elles étaient tombés/tombées (they had fallen)

Examples

• Je n’avais jamais été en Europe (I had never been to Europe)
• Elle étaité partie avant leur arrivée (She had left before their arrival)
• Elle était vieille, mais elle avait été jeune (She was old, but she had been young)
• Je l’aurais aidé si j’avais su (I would’ve helped him if I had known)
• J’étais parti(e) quand tu m’as téléphoné (I had already left when you called (me))