Indicatif: Plus-que-parfait

Question 1

What English verb tense does the plus-que-parfait translate to?

Answer 1

Past perfect

Question 2

Use plus-que-parfait to distinguish between two events that happened in the past:

• The sun had already started to set when I arrived.

PQP is used for the event that happened first (farther in the past)

Answer 2

Le soleil avait déjà commencé à se coucher quand je suis arrivé.

Question 3

What verb tenses are used for the second/more recent event after plus-que-parfait?

Answer 3

Passé composé or imparfait, depending on the context.

Question 4

Is the plus-que-parfait used when there is no relationship between the two events that occurred?

Answer 4

No. It is only used when the two events are understood to be connected in some way.

e.g. J’ai fini tout le travail et puis je suis parti. (I finished all the work, then I left)

Question 5

What are the parts of the plus-que-parfait verb tense?

Answer 5

l’imparfait form of avoir/être + le participe passé of the main verb

Question 6

J’avais bâillé bruyamment plusieurs fois avant que le caissier ne me remarque.

Answer 6

I had yawned loudly several times before the teller noticed me. (bâiller)

bâiller: to yawn; to gape

Question 7

Tu avais déjà fêté l’annonce au moment où je suis arrivé.

Answer 7

You (in.) had already celebrated the announcement by the time I arrived. (fêter)

fêter: to celebrate

Question 8

Il lui avait coûté cher de vendre sa dernière antiquité.

Answer 8

It had cost him dearly to sell his last antique. (coûter)

coûter: to cost; to be hard for somebody

Question 9

Nous avions rigolé trop fort et la bibliothécaire nous a lancé un regard noir.

Answer 9

We had laughed too loudly, and the librarian gave us a look. (rigoler)

rigoler: to laugh; to have fun; to be joking/kidding

Question 10

Vous aviez rencontré mon cousin dans un bar à Paris et vous l’aviez tout de suite apprécié.
(rencontrer)

Answer 10

You (pl.) had met my cousin at a bar in Paris and you instantly liked him.

rencontrer: to meet; to come across

Question 11

Ils étaient rentrés chez eux juste avant que la tempête ne frappe.

Answer 11

They had gotten home just before the storm hit. (rentrer)

rentrer: to come in; to go in; to get home; to put away; to go back in

Question 12

J’avais maigri quand il m’a vu à l’événement.

maigrir: to lose weight

Answer 12

I had lost weight when he saw me at the event. (maigrir)

Question 13

Tu avais trop agrandi l’image, donc je ne pouvais pas dire ce que c’était.

Answer 13

You (in.) had enlarged the image too much, so I couldn’t tell what it was. (agrandir)

agrandir: to enlarge; to extend; to magnify; to make bigger

Question 14

Il avait converti le type de fichier, mais cela ne fonctionnait toujours pas. (convertir)

Answer 14

He had converted the file type, but it still wasn’t working.

convertir: to convert

Question 15

Nous avions établi l’entreprise en Espagne deux ans avant de l’étendre à l’Amérique du Sud. (établir)

Answer 15

We had established the business in Spain two years before we expanded it to South America.

établir: to establish

Question 16

Vous aviez rafraîchi la pièce avec une nouvelle couche de peinture la veille du jour où les acheteurs venaient visiter la maison.

Answer 16

You (pl.) had refreshed the room with a new coat of paint the day before the buyers came to look at the house. (rafraîchir)

rafraîchir: to cool down; to refresh; to brighten up

Question 17

Ils avaient trop rétrécir la taille de la robe, et la cliente n’était pas contente.

Answer 17

They had taken in the waist of the dress too much, and the customer was not pleased. (rétrécir)

rétrécir: to shrink; to take in (in sewing)

Question 18

J’étais descendu au troisième étage quand je me suis rappelé que je ne travaillais plus dans cet immeuble.

Answer 18

I had gotten off at the third floor when I remembered that I don’t work in this building anymore. (descendre)

descendre: to go down; come down; get down; get off; lower; take down

Question 19

Tu avais rompu avec lui la veille et le lendemain nous sommes allés manger une glace.

Answer 19

You (in.) had broken up with him the night before and the next day we went for ice cream.

rompre: to split up; to break off; to break; to break up

Question 20

Il avait suspendu le cadre dans le salon mais s’est rendu compte qu’il serait plus joli dans la salle de bain.

Answer 20

He had hung the frame in the living room but realized it would look better in the bathroom.

suspendre: to hang up; to hang; to suspend

Question 21

Nous avions résolu d’attendre la fin du souper pour manger le dessert, mais l’après-midi, nous n’avons pas pu résister. (résoudre)

Answer 21

We had resolved to wait until after dinner to eat the dessert, but by the afternoon we couldn’t resist.

résoudre: to solve; to decide

Question 22

Vous aviez joint ces pièces avant de déconnecter les fils.

Answer 22

You had joined these pieces together before you disconnected the wires. (joindre)

joindre: to put together; to contact; to enclose; to attach; to get hold of; to fit properly

Question 23

Ils l’avaient élu sur la base de ses promesses, mais il n’en a tenu aucune.

Answer 23

They had elected him based on his promises, but he didn’t fulfill any of them. (élire)

élire: to elect